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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: coach · key · track · bear · spell · pitch · shower · prune

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. spell — magic
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — for a lock
  6. spell — a short time
  7. key — in music
  8. track — a song
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. shower — rain
  11. bear — the animal
  12. track — to keep track
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bear — the animal
  15. track — a path
  16. pitch — completely
  17. shower — to wash
  18. prune — to trim
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. spell — letters
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bear — to put up with

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