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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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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 · band · chest · toast · pit · fan · kick · perch

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. spring — of water
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. pit — in a race
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. band — a ring
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. spring — the season
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. toast — bread
  17. chest — a box
  18. kick — in football
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pit — a hole
  23. spring — a coil
  24. kick — with a leg

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