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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 120 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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. rest — a break
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. tear — from crying
  6. swing — to play on
  7. can — to be able to
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. swing — in golf
  11. club — for golf
  12. rest — what's left
  13. club — a group
  14. can — a tin
  15. stem — to come from
  16. rest — what's left
  17. tear — from crying
  18. club — for dancing
  19. tear — to rip
  20. track — a path
  21. can — a tin
  22. track — a song
  23. track — to keep track
  24. swing — music

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