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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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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: race · lean · club · prune · coach · racket · cabinet · firm

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. prune — to trim
  3. club — for dancing
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. prune — to trim
  6. firm — a company
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. club — for golf
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. race — humankind
  17. firm — decided
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — the arms race
  20. club — a group
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. lean — thin
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. firm — steady

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