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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  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 — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. tear — from crying
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. rock — a stone
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. prune — to trim
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. chest — of your body
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rock — music
  22. chest — a box
  23. tear — from crying
  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