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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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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: spring · fork · straw · coach · racket · squash · chair · bound

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. spring — of water
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. chair — a leader
  6. spring — the season
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bound — certain
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bound — tied together
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. squash — the sport
  19. fork — in a road
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bound — obliged
  23. spring — a coil
  24. straw — a straw man

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