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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: scale · bay · coach · prune · temple · hide · field · press

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. field — a subject
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. press — to push
  12. scale — in music
  13. field — farmland
  14. prune — to trim
  15. press — a publisher
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. field — for sport
  18. scale — size or range
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. press — newspapers

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