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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: dip · season · fan · swing · wind · sharp · file · tear

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. swing — to play on
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. wind — moving air
  7. season — in sport
  8. swing — in golf
  9. season — of the year
  10. dip — to sink
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. swing — music
  14. tear — from crying
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. file — a tool
  17. sharp — clever
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. file — a line of people
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. file — a document
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. tear — to rip

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