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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: firm · key · coach · rock · squash · tear · fork · roll

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. rock — music
  4. key — for a lock
  5. rock — a stone
  6. roll — a cake
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a list
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. firm — decided
  16. key — the most important part
  17. tear — from crying
  18. firm — a company
  19. tear — to rip
  20. key — in music
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. firm — steady
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rock — to move gently

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