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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 · bay · patient · plane · game · prune · pop · saw

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. prune — to trim
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. game — a match
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pop — to visit
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. game — wild animals
  13. pop — soda
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. prune — to trim
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pop — music
  19. saw — the tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. prune — the fruit

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