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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: lean · swing · coach · degree · can · nail · prune · wake

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. swing — to play on
  3. degree — temperature
  4. prune — to trim
  5. swing — music
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. degree — from a university
  8. can — a tin
  9. lean — thin
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. swing — in golf
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. degree — an amount
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wake — a trail
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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