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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. rest — a break
  4. chest — a box
  5. saw — the tool
  6. kid — to tease
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stem — to come from
  9. rest — what's left
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. rest — what's left
  12. kid — child
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. chest — of your body
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stand — to bear
  20. chest — of your body
  21. content — happy
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. saw — the tool
  24. content — the amount

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