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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rash — hasty
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. suit — to fit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rash — a series
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mark — a trace
  10. suit — clothes
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a grade
  13. spring — of water
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. clip — for paper
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. suit — in cards
  18. prune — to trim
  19. clip — to cut
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. spring — the season
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. clip — a video

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