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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: saw · ball · shower · coach · lean · temple · prune · press

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. saw — the tool
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. ball — a dance
  8. press — to push
  9. lean — thin
  10. shower — to wash
  11. saw — the tool
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. lean — to bend
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. press — a publisher
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. press — newspapers
  20. shower — rain
  21. prune — to trim
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. ball — a great time
  24. prune — to trim

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