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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: coach · band · mouse · fall · fan · season · pitcher · wake

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. season — in sport
  8. band — a music group
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. band — a ring
  17. fall — the season
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. wake — a trail
  24. season — of the year

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