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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 116 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: cell · straw · bore · row · net · coach · stick · fork

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. net — for catching
  3. bore — to tire
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. net — after costs
  7. fork — in a road
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cell — a phone
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cell — in biology
  17. row — to paddle
  18. net — in sport
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to drill
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. row — a line
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. cell — in a prison

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