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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. staff — employees
  3. prune — to trim
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. drill — the tool
  9. prune — to trim
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. season — in sport
  13. drill — army training
  14. season — of the year
  15. bank — for money
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bank — of a river
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. staff — a stick
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. staff — employees
  22. bank — for money
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. drill — a practice

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