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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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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: fork · saw · straw · mark · coach · present · tear · spell

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. mark — a grade
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. tear — to rip
  6. present — the time now
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. tear — from crying
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. saw — the tool
  14. present — there
  15. spell — magic
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. tear — from crying
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. present — a gift
  20. spell — a short time
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. fork — in a road
  23. mark — a trace
  24. spell — letters

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