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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ground · season · coach · fork · stick · file · dip · land

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. ground — a position
  3. file — a document
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. land — to come down
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. ground — the earth
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. ground — crushed
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. land — ground
  16. fork — in a road
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. season — in sport
  19. land — a country
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. dip — to sink
  22. season — of the year
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a line of people

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