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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: tube · coach · board · fork · scale · hand · date · wound

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. hand — help
  3. tube — the underground
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. board — to get on
  6. scale — size or range
  7. board — a committee
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. wound — an injury
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. wound — an injury
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. scale — in music
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. date — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. tube — a container
  23. hand — in cards
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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