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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: wound · coach · patient · fan · stick · stem · squash · bat

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. squash — the sport
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. squash — to crush
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wound — an injury

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