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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. stem — to come from
  3. can — a tin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rock — music
  6. field — for sport
  7. rock — a stone
  8. can — to be able to
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. can — a tin
  11. mug — a cup
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. field — a subject
  15. band — a ring
  16. rash — a series
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. mug — a face
  20. band — a music group
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. field — farmland
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. mug — to rob

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