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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: bay · wake · fine · lie · coach · prune · sharp · tube

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. prune — to trim
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fine — high quality
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. tube — a container
  11. prune — to trim
  12. lie — to recline
  13. fine — all right
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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