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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.

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: saw · wound · racket · leaves · deal · fork · coach · spell

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. wound — an injury
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fork — in a road
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. spell — a short time
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. deal — to handle
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — letters
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. wound — an injury
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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