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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: coach · last · current · stand · present · prune · ground · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. current — happening now
  6. spell — a short time
  7. prune — to trim
  8. present — the time now
  9. ground — a position
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. last — finally
  12. present — a gift
  13. last — final
  14. spell — letters
  15. last — to go on
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. current — of water
  18. current — electric
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. ground — crushed
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. ground — the earth
  24. present — there

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