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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: spell · snap · fork · rash · cap · bound · coach · trunk

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. cap — of ice
  3. rash — hasty
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. spell — a short time
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bound — obliged
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rash — a series
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bound — certain
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — magic
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. fork — in a road
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bound — tied together
  24. cap — a lid

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