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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.

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: coach · tube · season · dip · nail · cold · fan · march

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. march — the month
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. cold — not warm
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. tube — the underground
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. dip — to sink
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. tube — a container
  15. march — music
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cold — an illness
  19. season — in sport
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. march — the month
  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