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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. file — a document
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. perch — the fish
  10. file — a tool
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. spell — letters
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. spell — magic
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. file — a line of people
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. spell — a short time
  22. hand — help
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — of a plant

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