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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.

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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. file — a tool
  4. wound — an injury
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. bank — for money
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bank — for money
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bank — of a river
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. file — a document
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. fork — in a road
  22. file — a line of people
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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