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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.

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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 · stick · fall · roll · racket · coach · cold · wave

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a cake
  4. roll — a list
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cold — an illness
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. fall — to drop
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cold — not warm
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fall — the season

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