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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.

Make a worksheet

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: spring · perch · fan · lash · wind · bass · saw · dip

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. dip — to sink
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bass — the fish
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bass — low music
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. spring — the season
  17. wind — moving air
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — a coil
  24. lash — to lash out

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