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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 116 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: root · season · prune · bound · fork · bowl · coach · kick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bound — obliged
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. root — of a plant
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fork — in a road
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bound — certain
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. root — of a word
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. root — the cause
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. bound — tied together
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. kick — in football
  24. prune — to trim

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