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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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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: current · coach · hand · prune · ground · key · spell · pitch

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. current — happening now
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. key — the most important part
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. spell — letters
  11. hand — in cards
  12. ground — a position
  13. spell — magic
  14. current — electric
  15. prune — to trim
  16. ground — crushed
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. ground — the earth
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. pitch — completely
  23. prune — to trim
  24. current — of water

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