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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 · leaves · prune · chest · can · coach · game · straw

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. game — a match
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. chest — of your body
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wake — a trail
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. can — to be able to
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. can — a tin
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. can — a tin
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. prune — to trim
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — wild animals

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