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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: swing · file · club · fall · spring · track · saw · spell

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. swing — music
  3. fall — to drop
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spring — of water
  6. club — for golf
  7. file — a document
  8. track — a song
  9. fall — the season
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. spring — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spell — letters
  14. file — a tool
  15. club — a group
  16. swing — to play on
  17. club — for dancing
  18. swing — in golf
  19. spring — a coil
  20. track — to keep track
  21. saw — the tool
  22. track — a path
  23. spell — magic
  24. saw — the tool

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