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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: fall · bass · foot · hand · spell · mug · coach · cap

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. spell — a short time
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cap — a lid
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cap — a hat
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mug — a cup
  10. spell — letters
  11. mug — to rob
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the fish
  14. hand — help
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. spell — magic
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. fall — the season
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. cap — of ice

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