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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: sharp · prune · staff · spring · coach · bowl · row · branch

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. branch — a division
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. prune — to trim
  6. spring — the season
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. staff — employees
  12. row — to paddle
  13. spring — a coil
  14. prune — to trim
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. spring — of water
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. sharp — clever
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. row — a line

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