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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 120 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 · wave · cue · coach · race · ruler · mine · saw

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. saw — the tool
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cue — for pool
  12. mine — for digging
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. cue — a signal
  15. race — the arms race
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. prune — to trim
  19. saw — the tool
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cue — a hint
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. race — a contest
  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