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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: plane · hand · pitcher · march · staff · prune · coach · lean

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. hand — in cards
  5. staff — a stick
  6. plane — a tool
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. march — the month
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. staff — employees
  11. lean — thin
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. prune — to trim
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. staff — employees
  17. march — the month
  18. lean — to bend
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. prune — to trim
  23. hand — help
  24. plane — an aircraft

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