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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: content · coach · row · snap · calf · prune · stick · spell

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. spell — letters
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. row — a line
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. spell — a short time
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. spell — magic
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. content — happy
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. content — the amount
  24. snap — to click

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