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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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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: fall · wound · cue · mate · foot · coach · lash · fork

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. foot — a measure
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mate — a friend
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cue — a hint
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. cue — a signal
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cue — for pool
  17. mate — to breed
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. fork — in a road
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. fall — the season
  23. mate — a partner
  24. foot — part of the body

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