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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: coach · hand · mate · ball · prune · straw · snap · face

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. mate — to breed
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. prune — to trim
  5. face — part of the head
  6. hand — help
  7. prune — to trim
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. face — to point toward
  10. mate — a partner
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. mate — a friend
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a great time
  19. face — to confront
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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