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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: fork · wound · coach · deal · stem · bowl · cue · object

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. cue — a signal
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. object — to protest
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cue — a hint
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. object — an aim
  12. deal — to handle
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. cue — for pool
  17. wound — an injury
  18. object — a thing
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stem — to come from
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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