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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: spell · cue · chest · lean · stock · coach · pop · fork

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. lean — to bend
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cue — a hint
  7. fork — in a road
  8. chest — a box
  9. cue — for pool
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. pop — music
  12. cue — a signal
  13. pop — soda
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — goods
  16. spell — a short time
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. lean — thin
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — magic
  23. pop — to visit
  24. coach — a trainer

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