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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: fan · suit · staff · straw · scale · coach · wind · pop

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. wind — moving air
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. scale — in music
  10. staff — a stick
  11. pop — music
  12. staff — employees
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. scale — size or range
  18. suit — in cards
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. suit — clothes
  21. staff — employees
  22. suit — to fit
  23. wind — moving air
  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