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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — a stone
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bank — for money
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rock — music
  13. bank — for money
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bank — of a river
  17. perch — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. chest — a box
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. capital — a city
  24. rash — a series

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