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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: staff · season · march · coach · rest · fan · field · cell

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. staff — employees
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. staff — employees
  6. march — music
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. season — in sport
  9. march — the month
  10. field — a subject
  11. cell — a phone
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. staff — a stick
  15. season — of the year
  16. field — farmland
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. field — for sport
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cell — in biology
  22. rest — a break
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. march — the month

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