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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. spring — of water
  3. current — happening now
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. spring — the season
  8. march — the month
  9. bat — the animal
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. row — to paddle
  13. march — the month
  14. row — a line
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cue — for pool
  18. current — electric
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cue — a signal
  21. march — music
  22. current — of water
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. spring — a coil

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