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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. season — of the year
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bound — certain
  6. last — to go on
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. branch — a division
  10. can — to be able to
  11. season — in sport
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. last — final
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bound — tied together
  19. can — a tin
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. can — a tin
  23. last — finally
  24. bound — obliged

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