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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 120 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: coach · face · mine · tube · cold · fan · charge · rush

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rush — hurry
  7. charge — in control
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. face — to point toward
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. tube — the underground
  13. cold — not warm
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. charge — a price
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to confront
  19. tube — a container
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. mine — for digging
  24. charge — electricity

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