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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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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: shower · wound · hand · coach · root · ruler · fork · lie

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. wound — an injury
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. root — the cause
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. fork — in a road
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. root — of a plant
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. root — of a word
  17. lie — to recline
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wound — an injury
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. hand — help
  24. fork — to eat with

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