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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: field · wound · cap · rush · date · coach · fan · ruler

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. cap — a hat
  3. field — a subject
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. cap — of ice
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. rush — hurry
  8. cap — a lid
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. field — farmland
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. wound — an injury
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. date — the fruit
  20. field — for sport
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. ruler — a monarch

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