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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: prune · racket · leaves · wax · coach · pitcher · deal · mug

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. mug — to rob
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. mug — a face
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. wax — to grow
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. deal — to handle
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. prune — to trim
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. mug — a cup
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. prune — the fruit
  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