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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: fan · club · face · bear · spring · pop · firm · object

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. firm — decided
  3. firm — steady
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. firm — a company
  6. pop — to visit
  7. object — an aim
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pop — soda
  11. object — to protest
  12. face — to point toward
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. spring — the season
  15. pop — music
  16. club — a group
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. club — for dancing
  22. face — to confront
  23. object — a thing
  24. spring — of water

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