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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mug — to rob
  3. stem — to come from
  4. degree — from a university
  5. mug — a face
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. degree — temperature
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. fall — to drop
  15. foot — a measure
  16. degree — an amount
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. mug — a cup
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. wake — a trail
  23. fall — the season
  24. jam — in traffic

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