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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stick · mug · field · coach · club · wound · drill · prune

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. club — for dancing
  4. prune — to trim
  5. field — farmland
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. drill — a practice
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. club — for golf
  12. field — a subject
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. mug — to rob
  16. field — for sport
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. drill — the tool
  19. club — a group
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. mug — a face
  22. drill — army training
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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