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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 116 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: fan · spring · saw · swing · leaves · march · safe · track

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. track — a path
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. swing — to play on
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a song
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. spring — a coil
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. march — the month
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — of water
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. swing — in golf
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. swing — music
  24. fan — to cool the air

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