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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 120 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stand — to bear
  4. root — of a plant
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. last — to go on
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. root — of a word
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. cell — in biology
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. root — the cause
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. last — finally
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. last — final

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