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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: fork · content · wake · stem · deal · bowl · spell · coach

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. stem — to come from
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. spell — letters
  12. content — the amount
  13. deal — to handle
  14. wake — a trail
  15. spell — magic
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. content — happy
  19. fork — in a road
  20. spell — a short time
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. content — videos and posts

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