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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: saw · mark · spring · fan · season · stand · ruler · pitcher

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. spring — of water
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spring — the season
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. mark — a grade
  20. spring — a coil
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. season — of the year
  23. mark — a trace
  24. season — in sport

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