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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.

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: coach · wake · pass · field · prune · mine · fine · snap

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. field — a subject
  6. pass — a permit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. snap — to click
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wake — a trail
  16. field — farmland
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — high quality
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. field — for sport
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. mine — for digging

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