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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
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. content — the amount
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. fork — in a road
  16. lean — thin
  17. bark — to shout
  18. content — happy
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. straw — dry grass

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