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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 116 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: rush · coach · can · kid · mine · bulb · lean · land

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. lean — thin
  3. land — ground
  4. mine — for digging
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bulb — for light
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. land — to come down
  11. bulb — for light
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. rush — hurry
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — to tease
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. can — a tin
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. lean — to bend
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. land — a country
  24. mine — an explosive

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