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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: dip · content · cell · straw · prune · perch · craft · coach

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. prune — to trim
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. cell — in biology
  8. prune — to trim
  9. content — the amount
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. craft — boats
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. craft — a skill
  15. content — happy
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. dip — to sink
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. perch — the fish
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. cell — a phone

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