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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.

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: wound · fine · cap · mark · fan · spring · cell · swing

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a grade
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. mark — a trace
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cell — a phone
  7. spring — of water
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. wound — an injury
  10. spring — the season
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a lid
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. fine — all right
  17. swing — music
  18. fine — high quality
  19. swing — to play on
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cell — in biology
  22. swing — in golf
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. spring — a coil

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