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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: scale · rash · straw · fork · coach · roll · fan · wave

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. rash — a series
  6. scale — size or range
  7. fork — in a road
  8. roll — a list
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. scale — in music
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. rash — hasty
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. fan — a supporter

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