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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: perch · leaves · capital · prune · snap · racket · coach · bass

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bass — low music
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bass — the fish
  12. snap — to click
  13. capital — a city
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. capital — money
  21. prune — to trim
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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