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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: fall · capital · coach · mouse · prune · mug · ground · season

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. season — in sport
  5. fall — the season
  6. mug — to rob
  7. capital — a city
  8. season — of the year
  9. prune — to trim
  10. capital — money
  11. mug — a face
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. ground — a position
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. fall — to drop
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. ground — crushed
  24. mouse — the animal

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