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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.

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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: field · dip · bass · plane · cabinet · coach · fan · fall

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. field — farmland
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. field — for sport
  7. bass — low music
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. dip — to sink
  10. plane — a tool
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. field — a subject
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. bass — the fish
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. fall — to drop

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