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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fine · mine · prune · land · coach · wave · root · cap

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. land — a country
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. fine — all right
  6. cap — of ice
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cap — a hat
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. cap — a lid
  11. fine — high quality
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. mine — for digging
  15. root — of a word
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. root — of a plant
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. root — the cause
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. land — ground
  23. prune — to trim
  24. coach — a trainer

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