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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: prune · saw · straw · arm · mark · pop · race · coach

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. race — the arms race
  8. pop — music
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — soda
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. race — a contest
  15. prune — to trim
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. saw — the tool
  18. race — humankind
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a trace
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. mark — a grade

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