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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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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. squash — the sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. stem — to come from
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bass — low music
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. field — for sport
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. tube — a container
  17. vault — a safe
  18. field — farmland
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. tube — the underground
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bass — the fish

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