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

Word bank: prune · safe · coach · fall · ground · stick · wind · bore

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wind — moving air
  3. ground — crushed
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bore — to tire
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. fall — to drop
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. fall — to drop
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bore — to drill
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. fall — the season
  20. prune — to trim
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. prune — to trim
  24. ground — a position

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