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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. club — a group
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fork — in a road
  10. mate — a partner
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. club — for dancing
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wound — an injury
  16. clip — a video
  17. club — for golf
  18. mate — to breed
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. clip — to cut
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. drill — army training
  23. mate — a friend
  24. clip — for paper

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