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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. rock — a stone
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rock — music
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fork — in a road
  13. dip — to sink
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. mine — for digging
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wound — an injury
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. fork — a garden tool

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