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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: stand · fork · craft · chest · straw · coach · bear · dip

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bear — the animal
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bear — the animal
  11. chest — a box
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. craft — boats
  14. chest — of your body
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. dip — to sink
  21. fork — in a road
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. stand — to bear
  24. fork — a garden tool

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