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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: saw · date · firm · straw · cap · can · coach · leaves

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. cap — a hat
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. cap — a lid
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. firm — a company
  10. firm — steady
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. saw — the tool
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. can — a tin
  19. date — the fruit
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. saw — the tool
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. cap — of ice
  24. firm — decided

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