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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 116 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: coach · sharp · mine · bay · land · prune · hand · wave

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. land — to come down
  3. prune — to trim
  4. land — ground
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. hand — in cards
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. mine — for digging
  12. land — a country
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. hand — help
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. prune — to trim
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. hand — part of the body

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