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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: row · mine · fine · spring · swing · hand · spell · craft

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spell — magic
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a skill
  8. spell — letters
  9. row — a line
  10. spell — a short time
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — to play on
  13. spring — of water
  14. swing — music
  15. row — to paddle
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mine — for digging
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. fine — all right
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. spring — the season
  23. fine — high quality
  24. hand — help

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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