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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 120 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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  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. straw — dry grass
  2. bore — to tire
  3. prune — to trim
  4. track — a path
  5. hand — in cards
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. track — to keep track
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. suit — in cards
  14. bore — to drill
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. suit — clothes
  18. prune — to trim
  19. suit — to fit
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. track — a song
  23. hand — help
  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