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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 · prune · tube · clip · shower · foot · board · bulb

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. clip — a video
  6. tube — the underground
  7. shower — rain
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bulb — for light
  11. clip — to cut
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. shower — to wash
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bulb — for light
  16. tube — a container
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. board — a committee
  20. prune — to trim
  21. clip — for paper
  22. foot — a measure
  23. board — to get on
  24. coach — a trainer

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