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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: straw · fine · dip · coach · pound · prune · fall · kid

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. dip — to sink
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. fall — to drop
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fine — all right
  9. prune — to trim
  10. kid — to tease
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. fine — high quality
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. prune — to trim
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. fall — the season
  23. kid — child
  24. pound — for dogs

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