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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: hand · spring · pit · stand · content · mouse · fan · club

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. club — for golf
  4. spring — a coil
  5. pit — a hole
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. hand — help
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. stand — to bear
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. content — the amount
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. hand — in cards
  15. club — a group
  16. pit — in a race
  17. spring — of water
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. content — happy
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. spring — the season
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. club — for dancing

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