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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: fan · coach · lie · spring · trunk · sharp · firm · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. spring — the season
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. firm — a company
  5. spring — of water
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. firm — steady
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. lie — to recline
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. spring — a coil
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. firm — decided
  23. sharp — clever
  24. lie — an untruth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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