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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: straw · fork · mark · roll · coach · fall · season · bound

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bound — certain
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. mark — a grade
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. season — in sport
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. roll — a list
  10. fall — to drop
  11. season — of the year
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — tied together
  19. roll — a cake
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. fork — in a road
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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