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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stick · squash · lean · bass · field · prune · coach · dip

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. prune — to trim
  3. squash — the sport
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. dip — to sink
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. lean — thin
  10. field — for sport
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. field — farmland
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — the fish
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bass — low music
  22. prune — to trim
  23. field — a subject
  24. squash — the vegetable

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