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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: mine · spell · face · cell · track · saw · fork · coach

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. spell — a short time
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. cell — in biology
  8. track — a path
  9. track — to keep track
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mine — for digging
  12. spell — letters
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. spell — magic
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — to confront
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cell — a phone
  20. fork — in a road
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. face — part of the head
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — an explosive

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