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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: club · bore · coach · wave · prune · suit · staff · roll

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bore — to tire
  4. suit — to fit
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. suit — in cards
  7. roll — a list
  8. staff — employees
  9. club — for golf
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. club — a group
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. suit — clothes
  17. club — for dancing
  18. staff — employees
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. bore — to drill
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. staff — a stick
  23. prune — the fruit
  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