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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: row · cap · cabinet · field · coach · lean · prune · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. row — to paddle
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. field — a subject
  14. row — a line
  15. cap — of ice
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — to bend
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. field — for sport
  20. cap — a hat
  21. lean — thin
  22. field — farmland
  23. prune — to trim
  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