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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 120 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: mug · coach · mark · fork · straw · file · root · wind

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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. mark — a grade
  2. file — a tool
  3. wind — moving air
  4. file — a line of people
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mark — a trace
  7. root — of a plant
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. file — a document
  12. root — the cause
  13. mug — to rob
  14. fork — in a road
  15. root — of a word
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — a cup
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. coach — a trainer
  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