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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: cue · coach · land · last · lean · row · club · prune

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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. lean — to bend
  2. cue — for pool
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. club — for golf
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. row — to paddle
  7. cue — a hint
  8. last — final
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. land — a country
  11. last — finally
  12. lean — thin
  13. cue — a signal
  14. land — ground
  15. last — to go on
  16. land — to come down
  17. prune — to trim
  18. row — a line
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for dancing
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. prune — to trim
  23. coach — a trainer
  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