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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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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: chest · pop · hide · fork · deal · plane · coach · swing

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — soda
  3. fork — in a road
  4. plane — a tool
  5. chest — of your body
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. swing — music
  8. deal — to handle
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — to play on
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. pop — music
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. plane — in geometry

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