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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 116 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: fall · rash · fan · spring · wind · sharp · bowl · bound

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bound — obliged
  3. fall — the season
  4. rash — hasty
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. rash — a series
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spring — of water
  14. bound — tied together
  15. wind — moving air
  16. sharp — clever
  17. spring — a coil
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bound — certain
  21. spring — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. wind — to turn a key

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