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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · mine · rock · bulb · dip · coach · field · cold

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rock — a stone
  3. field — for sport
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bulb — for light
  6. dip — to sink
  7. rock — music
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bulb — for light
  15. field — farmland
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — not warm
  23. field — a subject
  24. coach — a trainer

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