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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: fan · leaves · hand · roll · bass · coach · pop · squash

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pop — soda
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. squash — to crush
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. pop — music
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bass — low music
  14. roll — a cake
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. hand — in cards
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pop — to visit
  19. squash — the sport
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bass — the fish
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a list
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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