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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: ruler · fan · roll · spring · patient · wax · swing · fine

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fine — high quality
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. swing — in golf
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. swing — music
  10. spring — a coil
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. roll — a cake
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. fine — all right
  16. roll — a list
  17. spring — the season
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. swing — to play on
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. spring — of water
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fan — a supporter

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