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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. firm — decided
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. wind — moving air
  12. tube — a container
  13. prune — to trim
  14. hand — help
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. firm — steady
  21. pass — a permit
  22. firm — a company
  23. wind — moving air
  24. racket — for tennis

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