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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: fan · spring · racket · saw · ruler · perch · board · rest

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. perch — the fish
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. rest — what's left
  8. spring — the season
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rest — what's left
  12. board — to get on
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rest — a break
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. saw — the tool
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. spring — a coil
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. board — a committee
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. spring — of water

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