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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 · fork · hand · craft · spell · kick · shower · track

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. craft — boats
  6. shower — to wash
  7. spell — a short time
  8. kick — in football
  9. spell — letters
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. craft — a skill
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. track — to keep track
  15. fork — in a road
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. spell — magic
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. track — a path
  23. shower — rain
  24. track — a song

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