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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. race — the arms race
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. present — the time now
  10. spring — of water
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. race — humankind
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. prune — to trim
  15. race — a contest
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. spring — a coil
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. spring — the season
  22. prune — to trim
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. present — there

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