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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: fork · mine · coach · bowl · chair · stick · straw · bank

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bank — for money
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. mine — for digging
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bowl — to roll

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