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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 120 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: spring · chair · fan · rock · wind · bound · rash · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bound — tied together
  3. rash — hasty
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. spring — the season
  6. bound — certain
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. spring — a coil
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. spring — of water
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rock — music
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a leader
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bound — obliged
  23. rock — a stone
  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