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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: coach · race · track · pop · prune · rule · mine · lie

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. pop — soda
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. track — a path
  9. rule — government
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. track — to keep track
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. race — the arms race
  18. pop — to visit
  19. race — humankind
  20. track — a song
  21. lie — to recline
  22. race — a contest
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pop — music

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