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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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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. clip — for paper
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — a container
  8. firm — decided
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. firm — a company
  11. capital — a city
  12. root — the cause
  13. tube — the underground
  14. clip — to cut
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. capital — money
  18. firm — steady
  19. clip — a video
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — of a plant
  23. branch — a division
  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