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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: coach · chest · rock · prune · spell · wind · object · nail

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — letters
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. chest — a box
  5. rock — music
  6. chest — of your body
  7. object — a thing
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wind — moving air
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wind — moving air
  14. prune — to trim
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rock — a stone
  19. object — to protest
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. object — an aim
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. spell — a short time

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