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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: club · coach · prune · root · fan · mate · bound · press

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — to breed
  3. club — a group
  4. bound — tied together
  5. club — for golf
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. press — newspapers
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bound — certain
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bound — obliged
  17. root — the cause
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. root — of a plant
  20. club — for dancing
  21. root — of a word
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — to push

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