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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 120 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: lean · wound · pop · bulb · coach · spring · rock · last

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. spring — the season
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wound — an injury
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. last — finally
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. rock — music
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. pop — to visit
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. last — to go on
  18. rock — a stone
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lean — thin
  21. pop — music
  22. lean — to bend
  23. last — final
  24. pop — soda

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