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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: pitcher · prune · fan · mug · present · coach · wake · chest

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. present — a gift
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. present — the time now
  7. wake — a trail
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mug — a face
  10. chest — a box
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mug — a cup
  13. prune — to trim
  14. chest — of your body
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. present — there
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pitcher — a jug

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