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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.

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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: present · root · net · coach · mug · fan · bat · current

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. net — for catching
  3. bat — the animal
  4. mug — to rob
  5. present — a gift
  6. current — electric
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mug — a face
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mug — a cup
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. current — happening now
  16. present — there
  17. present — the time now
  18. current — of water
  19. root — of a word
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. root — the cause

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