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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: rest · fan · wound · racket · mine · coach · current · cell

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. current — happening now
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. current — of water
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rest — a break
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. current — electric
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. cell — in biology
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cell — a phone
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — belonging to me

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