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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: temple · bank · file · lean · swing · spring · fan · plane

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. lean — thin
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bank — for money
  7. file — a line of people
  8. plane — a tool
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a document
  11. spring — of water
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bank — for money
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bank — of a river
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — to play on
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. spring — a coil
  23. lean — to bend
  24. plane — an aircraft

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