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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: racket · fan · tube · mine · coach · bound · fine · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. mine — for digging
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. season — of the year
  6. fine — high quality
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bound — obliged
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. season — in sport
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — a container
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — certain
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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