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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: coach · straw · net · prune · bulb · club · can · pitcher

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. club — for dancing
  4. can — a tin
  5. club — for golf
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bulb — for light
  9. net — for catching
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. can — a tin
  16. net — in sport
  17. club — a group
  18. prune — to trim
  19. can — to be able to
  20. net — after costs
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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