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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: straw · prune · row · coach · game · bowl · lean · stem

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. row — to paddle
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. lean — to bend
  9. row — a line
  10. stem — to come from
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. game — a match
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. prune — to trim
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. lean — thin

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