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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. current — of water
  4. current — happening now
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. prune — to trim
  8. branch — a division
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. squash — the sport
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. squash — to crush
  16. cold — not warm
  17. current — electric
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — for pool
  20. prune — to trim
  21. last — to go on
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cold — an illness

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