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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. prune — to trim
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. shower — to wash
  9. season — in sport
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bank — for money
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. prune — to trim
  15. spell — letters
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. spell — magic
  19. bank — for money
  20. season — of the year
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bank — of a river
  23. mine — for digging
  24. fan — a supporter

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