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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 116 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. mug — a face
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bound — obliged
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pop — music
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. game — a match
  14. pop — to visit
  15. game — wild animals
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pop — soda
  18. mug — to rob
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  24. hide — to keep secret

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