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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
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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: chest · file · fan · rule · lie · spring · spell · tube

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. file — a document
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spell — letters
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rule — government
  8. tube — a container
  9. rule — a law
  10. spell — a short time
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. tube — the underground
  13. spring — of water
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. spring — the season
  18. chest — a box
  19. file — a line of people
  20. spell — magic
  21. file — a tool
  22. chest — of your body
  23. lie — to recline
  24. chest — of your body

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