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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bore — to drill
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. prune — to trim
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. spring — of water
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spring — the season
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bore — to tire
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — a division
  19. prune — to trim
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — letters
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pitcher — a jug

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