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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.

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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: deal · hand · nail · coach · date · bulb · fork · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. deal — to handle
  5. bulb — for light
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. hand — in cards
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. hand — help
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. fork — in a road

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