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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: cabinet · nail · rest · fan · coach · date · spell · file

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. date — the fruit
  3. rest — what's left
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spell — magic
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. file — a line of people
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. spell — letters
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. file — a tool
  16. rest — a break
  17. spell — a short time
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rest — what's left
  20. file — a document
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cabinet — ministers

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