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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: coach · fan · land · spring · bear · plane · cue · bark

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. spring — the season
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — for pool
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. cue — a signal
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bark — to shout
  14. land — a country
  15. bear — the animal
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. bear — the animal
  22. spring — a coil
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. spring — of water

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