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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: coach · fine · rule · foot · prune · cabinet · season · mine

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. rule — a law
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. season — of the year
  13. foot — a measure
  14. fine — all right
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — high quality
  22. rule — government
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. rule — to rule out

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