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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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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: prune · rest · toast · pop · kick · coach · chest · hide

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pop — soda
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. chest — a box
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. prune — to trim
  15. toast — bread
  16. pop — to visit
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. prune — to trim
  20. chest — of your body
  21. kick — in football
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. chest — of your body
  24. prune — the fruit

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