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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mate — to breed
  3. wake — a trail
  4. can — a tin
  5. prune — to trim
  6. object — a thing
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. can — a tin
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. mate — a partner
  14. stem — to come from
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. can — to be able to
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — to protest
  24. prune — to trim

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