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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.

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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: degree · deal · trunk · spring · bat · fan · coach · charge

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. charge — in control
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — the animal
  9. degree — temperature
  10. spring — a coil
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. degree — from a university
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. charge — electricity
  17. spring — the season
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. charge — a price
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. deal — to handle
  23. spring — of water
  24. fan — to cool the air

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