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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. hand — help
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. hand — in cards
  14. prune — to trim
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. ruler — for measuring

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