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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.

Make a worksheet

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: prune · toast · cold · pitcher · fan · coach · file · wave

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. file — a line of people
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. toast — bread
  7. file — a document
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. cold — an illness
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. cold — not warm
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. prune — to trim
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. file — a tool
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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