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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. pit — a hole
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bore — to tire
  8. pit — in a race
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. spell — letters
  12. season — of the year
  13. spell — magic
  14. season — in sport
  15. bore — to drill
  16. tear — from crying
  17. prune — to trim
  18. tear — to rip
  19. spell — a short time
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. tear — from crying
  24. prune — to trim

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