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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: hand · ball · prune · deal · pass · season · coach · land

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. ball — a great time
  6. deal — to handle
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. ball — a dance
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — help
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. hand — in cards
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. pass — a permit
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. season — in sport
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. land — a country
  24. land — ground

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