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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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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 · stand · mate · toast · vault · staff · cold · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. staff — employees
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. mate — to breed
  5. vault — a safe
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. mate — a friend
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mate — a partner
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. cold — an illness
  16. prune — to trim
  17. staff — employees
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. stand — to bear
  22. staff — a stick
  23. cold — not warm
  24. toast — bread

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