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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 · bear · wound · snap · coach · bound · bulb · file

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bear — the animal
  3. file — a tool
  4. bound — obliged
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bear — the animal
  8. file — a document
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. file — a line of people
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bound — certain
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bound — tied together
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. wound — an injury
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. snap — to click

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