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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: prune · bowl · spring · band · coach · rule · lie · content

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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. rule — to rule out
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. prune — to trim
  4. band — a music group
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. spring — of water
  9. rule — government
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. rule — a law
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. spring — a coil
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. prune — to trim
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. spring — the season
  21. content — the amount
  22. band — a ring
  23. content — happy
  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