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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: coach · perch · bat · prune · saw · pitcher · bank · lean

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. saw — the tool
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. lean — thin
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bank — of a river
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bat — the animal
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bat — in an idiom

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