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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: bear · coach · bowl · pit · march · nail · squash · prune

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. march — music
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — the sport
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pit — in a race
  11. squash — to crush
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pit — a hole
  15. march — the month
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. march — the month
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bear — the animal
  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