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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: squash · present · stem · coach · fan · plane · hand · band

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. squash — to crush
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. squash — the sport
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. present — a gift
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. hand — in cards
  14. stem — to come from
  15. hand — help
  16. plane — a tool
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. present — there
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. present — the time now
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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