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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 120 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
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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: wake · coach · mine · band · fork · land · bear · mark

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mark — a grade
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. fork — in a road
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bear — the animal
  15. band — a ring
  16. land — a country
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. band — a music group
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. land — to come down
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. mine — belonging to me

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