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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
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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: cap · bear · field · saw · coach · mate · cabinet · bass

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mate — a friend
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mate — a partner
  6. field — farmland
  7. bass — low music
  8. bear — the animal
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — of ice
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. saw — the tool

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