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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: prune · coach · staff · rash · ruler · bound · cap · spring

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bound — obliged
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bound — certain
  6. rash — hasty
  7. prune — to trim
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. staff — employees
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bound — tied together
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. cap — a lid
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. staff — employees
  18. spring — of water
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. staff — a stick
  21. cap — of ice
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rash — a series
  24. cap — a hat

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