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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: present · hand · deal · last · wax · fork · roll · coach

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. hand — in cards
  5. last — final
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. last — finally
  9. present — the time now
  10. roll — a list
  11. deal — to handle
  12. last — to go on
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — there
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. roll — a cake
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. fork — in a road
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. hand — help

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