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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.

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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: fan · mouse · swing · club · row · rash · tube · spell

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. club — for dancing
  3. rash — a series
  4. swing — in golf
  5. club — for golf
  6. spell — magic
  7. tube — the underground
  8. spell — letters
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. swing — to play on
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. row — a line
  14. row — to paddle
  15. spell — a short time
  16. rash — hasty
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. swing — music
  23. club — a group
  24. mouse — the animal

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