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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 · pitcher · prune · game · pound · bass · spring · coach

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. spring — the season
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. game — a match
  12. bass — low music
  13. lean — thin
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bass — the fish
  18. lean — to bend
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. spring — a coil
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. spring — of water

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