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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.

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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: can · bark · fall · game · press · coach · field · fan

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. can — a tin
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. can — a tin
  7. press — to push
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. game — a match
  11. press — a publisher
  12. field — farmland
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. game — wild animals
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. field — for sport
  20. can — to be able to
  21. field — a subject
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. press — newspapers
  24. fan — a supporter

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