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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: spring · mouse · snap · swing · band · fan · spell · date

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. spring — a coil
  5. band — a ring
  6. spring — the season
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. band — a music group
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. date — the fruit
  15. swing — music
  16. snap — to click
  17. swing — to play on
  18. spell — a short time
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. swing — in golf
  21. spell — letters
  22. spring — of water
  23. spell — magic
  24. date — on the calendar

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