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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 120 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 · mine · pass · saw · rush · pitcher · spring · wind

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. spring — a coil
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. pass — a permit
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wind — moving air
  10. spring — the season
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. spring — of water
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rush — hurry
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. fan — a supporter

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