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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: degree · saw · coach · wind · firm · track · fork · pop

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. degree — an amount
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. firm — steady
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fork — in a road
  11. firm — decided
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. firm — a company
  14. degree — temperature
  15. wind — moving air
  16. degree — from a university
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. track — a song
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — to visit
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. track — a path
  24. track — to keep track

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