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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: coach · arm · mine · wake · saw · pitch · pound · fork

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mine — for digging
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. fork — in a road
  7. pitch — completely
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pound — a weight
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wake — a trail
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. pound — to hit hard

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