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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: swing · bear · lean · jam · fan · drill · spell · bulb

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. swing — music
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. lean — to bend
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. drill — a practice
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bear — the animal
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. spell — letters
  15. drill — army training
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. swing — to play on
  18. spell — magic
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. lean — thin
  21. spell — a short time
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bear — the animal
  24. swing — in golf

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com