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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
468
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: face · squash · date · coach · bore · bowl · prune · hide

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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. bore — to tire
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. prune — to trim
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. face — to point toward
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bore — to drill
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. squash — the sport
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. date — the fruit
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. face — part of the head
  21. prune — to trim
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. face — to confront
  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