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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: march · lash · rush · coach · prune · bat · spring · plane

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. bat — the animal
  8. march — the month
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. march — the month
  11. spring — a coil
  12. plane — a tool
  13. spring — the season
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. spring — of water
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. prune — to trim
  18. march — music
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. rush — hurry
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bat — in an idiom

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