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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: swing · rash · nail · field · fan · rock · bowl · spring

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rash — hasty
  6. swing — music
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. spring — of water
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — for sport
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. rock — music
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. spring — the season
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rash — a series
  20. spring — a coil
  21. field — a subject
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. swing — to play on
  24. rock — a stone

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