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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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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: wake · coach · bound · craft · toast · prune · bear · bat

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bear — the animal
  3. craft — boats
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bound — certain
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. bear — the animal
  10. prune — to trim
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. toast — bread
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bound — obliged
  15. wake — a trail
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. prune — to trim
  19. craft — a skill
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bound — tied together

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