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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: mate · bore · current · coach · prune · fine · face · season

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. current — of water
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mate — a friend
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. season — in sport
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bore — to drill
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bore — to tire
  17. face — part of the head
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. fine — high quality
  21. current — happening now
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fine — all right
  24. prune — to trim

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