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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: last · rush · tube · coach · fine · prune · bowl · root

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. prune — to trim
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. prune — to trim
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. fine — high quality
  9. last — to go on
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. last — finally
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a word
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. fine — all right
  21. tube — the underground
  22. root — of a plant
  23. last — final
  24. tube — a container

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