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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.

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: fork · can · bear · coach · tube · spring · hand · kid

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. kid — to tease
  4. fork — in a road
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. hand — help
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — the season
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. tube — a container
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bear — the animal
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. kid — child
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. hand — in cards

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