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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: cell · jam · rush · fan · pop · scale · wind · season

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  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. fan — to cool the air
  2. scale — size or range
  3. rush — hurry
  4. scale — in music
  5. season — in sport
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. cell — a phone
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. pop — soda
  11. season — of the year
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. pop — music
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. pop — to visit
  23. cell — in biology
  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