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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: coach · prune · ball · bark · march · spell

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. march — music
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. march — the month
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. spell — magic
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bark — to shout
  12. ball — a great time
  13. spell — a short time
  14. prune — to trim
  15. march — the month
  16. ball — a dance
  17. spell — letters
  18. 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