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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. tube — the underground
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. pop — to visit
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pop — music
  15. tube — a container
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pop — soda
  19. spell — letters
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. stem — to come from
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. file — a document
  24. spell — magic

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