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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: pitcher · bear · mine · coach · fork · wave · toast · rest

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. toast — bread
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. rest — a break
  13. bear — the animal
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. fork — in a road
  22. mine — for digging
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. wave — of the sea

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