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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rock — music
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. season — in sport
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. current — electric
  8. current — of water
  9. drill — a practice
  10. prune — to trim
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. can — a tin
  13. drill — the tool
  14. prune — to trim
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. can — to be able to
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. can — a tin
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. rock — a stone
  21. season — of the year
  22. current — happening now
  23. drill — army training
  24. coach — a trainer

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