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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
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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: fall · calf · leaves · fan · degree · coach · pop · file

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. degree — from a university
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. file — a line of people
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. file — a tool
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pop — to visit
  12. degree — an amount
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pop — music
  17. file — a document
  18. degree — temperature
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. pop — soda
  21. fall — to drop
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. calf — of the leg

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