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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: rash · spell · deal · face · fan · saw · spring · swing

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. face — part of the head
  3. swing — in golf
  4. spring — of water
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. face — to point toward
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. swing — to play on
  11. spring — a coil
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. spell — magic
  15. swing — music
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rash — a series
  18. spell — letters
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rash — hasty
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. spring — the season
  23. face — to confront
  24. spell — a short time

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