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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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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: rush · kid · ball · row · prune · coach · present · deal

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. row — a line
  3. present — the time now
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. rush — hurry
  7. present — there
  8. ball — a dance
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. row — to paddle
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. present — a gift
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. kid — to tease
  15. prune — to trim
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — to handle
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — child
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rush — a thrill

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