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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: track · fan · present · land · lie · bear · fall · coach

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. present — there
  2. track — a song
  3. fall — the season
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bear — the animal
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. track — to keep track
  9. fall — to drop
  10. land — ground
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. present — a gift
  14. lie — to recline
  15. land — to come down
  16. bear — the animal
  17. present — the time now
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. track — a path
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. fall — to drop
  23. land — a country
  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