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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: squash · fan · coach · band · deal · leaves · capital · straw

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. capital — money
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. squash — the sport
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. capital — a city
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. band — a ring
  11. squash — to crush
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. band — a music group
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. deal — to handle
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. leaves — of a tree

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