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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. club — for golf
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. cap — of ice
  12. club — for dancing
  13. hand — in cards
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hand — help
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. cap — a lid
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. march — music
  22. club — a group
  23. cap — a hat
  24. hand — part of the body

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