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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
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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 · racket · pitcher · spring · prune · bay · trunk · cold

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. cold — an illness
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. cold — not warm
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. prune — to trim
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. spring — of water
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. spring — a coil
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. spring — the season
  24. pitcher — a jug

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