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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 120 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 · track · rest · mug · chest · coach · cell · bass

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. track — a song
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. rest — a break
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mug — a face
  9. rest — what's left
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bass — the fish
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rest — what's left
  14. track — a path
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. cell — a phone
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — to rob
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bass — low music
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cell — in biology
  23. track — to keep track
  24. chest — a box

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