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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 116 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: stick · fan · cap · tube · row · coach · object · field

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. field — for sport
  4. object — to protest
  5. cap — a lid
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. field — a subject
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. tube — a container
  12. object — a thing
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — of ice
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. object — an aim
  17. row — a line
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. tube — the underground
  22. row — to paddle
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. field — farmland

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