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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 · ball · coach · spell · pound · fall · rule · trunk

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. ball — a dance
  6. spell — letters
  7. rule — a law
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pound — a weight
  10. rule — government
  11. spell — a short time
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. spell — magic
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. fall — the season
  24. ball — a great time

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