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

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. can — a tin
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. fork — in a road
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. wound — an injury
  12. can — to be able to
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. can — a tin
  15. bear — the animal
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bear — the animal
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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