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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: kick · rock · spring · coach · prune · nail · stock · bear

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. prune — to trim
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. stock — shares
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. spring — of water
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rock — a stone
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. spring — the season
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bear — the animal
  21. stock — goods
  22. rock — music
  23. spring — a coil
  24. nail — for a hammer

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