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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 116 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: fall · object · prune · spring · sharp · drill · coach · firm

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spring — the season
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. spring — of water
  10. object — a thing
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — army training
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. object — an aim
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — clever
  17. firm — decided
  18. firm — a company
  19. fall — the season
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. firm — steady
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. spring — a coil
  24. drill — the tool

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