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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 · fall · can · safe · chair · rash · nail · spring

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. can — a tin
  4. swing — to play on
  5. spring — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. can — a tin
  8. chair — a leader
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. rash — hasty
  11. swing — in golf
  12. fall — to drop
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. can — to be able to
  15. swing — music
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. spring — a coil
  22. rash — a series
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. spring — of water

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