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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: wound · coach · can · lash · spell · chair · face · fan

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. face — to confront
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. spell — letters
  8. can — a tin
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. wound — an injury
  13. spell — magic
  14. face — to point toward
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. face — part of the head
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. chair — a leader
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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