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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.

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: kid · rest · prune · ball · mug · cap · coach · tube

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. kid — to tease
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. kid — child
  6. tube — the underground
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mug — a face
  9. ball — a dance
  10. cap — a hat
  11. rest — what's left
  12. tube — a container
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. mug — to rob
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cap — a lid
  20. ball — a great time
  21. cap — of ice
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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