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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: fan · spring · stand · pitch · club · wound · arm · row

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. spring — the season
  5. row — to paddle
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pitch — completely
  10. spring — a coil
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for dancing
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. club — for golf
  18. row — a line
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. spring — of water
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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