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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: cap · pop · scale · rash · fan · kid · wound · coach

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. pop — to visit
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — hasty
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. scale — in music
  10. kid — child
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. kid — to tease
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. pop — music
  16. cap — a lid
  17. pop — soda
  18. cap — a hat
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. scale — size or range
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cap — of ice
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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