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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: pitcher · spring · straw · pound · coach · bulb · root · ball

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bulb — for light
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. spring — the season
  5. ball — a great time
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. pound — a weight
  8. ball — a dance
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. bulb — for light
  14. spring — of water
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — the cause
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. root — of a plant
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. spring — a coil
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. straw — dry grass

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