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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: roll · craft · hand · firm · pit · race · coach · prune

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. craft — a skill
  6. firm — steady
  7. pit — a hole
  8. roll — a list
  9. firm — a company
  10. firm — decided
  11. race — humankind
  12. prune — to trim
  13. race — a contest
  14. hand — help
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. prune — to trim
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. pit — in a race
  22. hand — in cards
  23. craft — boats
  24. race — the arms race

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