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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: arm · bank · prune · row · clip · date · rush · coach

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bank — of a river
  3. clip — a video
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. clip — for paper
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bank — for money
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a line
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. clip — to cut
  16. rush — hurry
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. date — the fruit
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bank — for money
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. date — on the calendar

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