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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: face · net · coach · cap · pitch · fan · branch · drill

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — of ice
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. drill — army training
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. drill — a practice
  8. face — to point toward
  9. net — after costs
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. face — to confront
  17. drill — the tool
  18. net — in sport
  19. cap — a hat
  20. net — for catching
  21. face — part of the head
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. branch — a division
  24. pitch — completely

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