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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.

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: mate · ruler · coach · last · chest · saw · season · prune

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mate — a partner
  4. saw — the tool
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. mate — a friend
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. season — in sport
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. mate — to breed
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. saw — the tool
  22. season — of the year
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. last — final

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