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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: spell · wake · bass · lean · swing · date · toast · fan

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. swing — to play on
  4. wake — a trail
  5. lean — thin
  6. bass — low music
  7. lean — to bend
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. spell — letters
  11. swing — in golf
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. date — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — magic
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. toast — bread
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. swing — music
  24. wake — before a funeral

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