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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: straw · fork · rule · leaves · coach · pound · bass · deal

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bass — the fish
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. deal — to handle
  6. rule — a law
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bass — low music
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. rule — government
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. pound — a weight
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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