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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. spring — the season
  3. court — of a king
  4. spring — of water
  5. wound — an injury
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wind — moving air
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wound — an injury
  10. court — of law
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. prune — to trim
  15. court — for sport
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. wind — moving air
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. spring — a coil
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. prune — to trim
  24. coach — pulled by horses

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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