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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 116 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 · rest · stand · march · fan · track · calf · game

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. track — to keep track
  4. game — a match
  5. spring — of water
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. game — wild animals
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. spring — a coil
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. track — a path
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. march — the month
  17. rest — what's left
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. spring — the season
  21. stand — to bear
  22. rest — what's left
  23. track — a song
  24. rest — a break

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