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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · spell · bark · calf · saw · fork · fan · court

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  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. fan — to cool the air
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. court — of law
  4. spell — letters
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. court — for sport
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bark — to shout
  13. court — of a king
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. spell — magic
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  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