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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 116 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: row · coach · fan · season · ball · leaves · bear · pitcher

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  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. bear — to put up with
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. ball — a dance
  4. row — a line
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. ball — a great time
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — in sport
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. row — to paddle
  23. coach — a trainer
  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