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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
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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: root · coach · bat · fall · rush · fork · cap · can

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. rush — hurry
  4. fall — the season
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bat — the animal
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. fork — in a road
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a hat
  12. fall — to drop
  13. root — of a plant
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. root — of a word
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. can — to be able to
  19. root — the cause
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. cap — a lid
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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