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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: pound · bulb · coach · straw · prune · last · lean · charge

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. charge — a price
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. last — final
  6. bulb — for light
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. lean — to bend
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. charge — electricity
  13. lean — thin
  14. charge — in control
  15. bulb — for light
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. last — to go on
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. prune — to trim
  22. last — finally
  23. pound — a weight
  24. prune — to trim

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