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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: fine · cell · foot · sharp · prune · pitcher · coach · pound

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pound — a weight
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fine — high quality
  12. foot — a measure
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cell — in biology
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. fine — all right
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cell — a phone
  23. sharp — clever
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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