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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: foot · suit · shower · key · land · coach · prune · lean

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. lean — to bend
  3. shower — rain
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. suit — to fit
  7. shower — to wash
  8. key — the most important part
  9. prune — to trim
  10. lean — thin
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. land — a country
  13. prune — to trim
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. foot — a measure
  16. key — for a lock
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. land — ground
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. key — in music
  22. suit — in cards
  23. suit — clothes
  24. foot — the bottom

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