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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.

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: spell · fall · fan · file · perch · hide · press · coach

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — letters
  5. press — to push
  6. file — a tool
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. file — a line of people
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. spell — a short time
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. file — a document
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. perch — the fish
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — newspapers
  24. fall — to drop

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