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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · bark · key · coach · stick · fall · hand · wound

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. fall — the season
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. hand — help
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bark — to shout
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mine — for digging
  19. key — in music
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. wound — an injury
  22. key — the most important part
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. key — for a lock

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