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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stem — to come from
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. wound — an injury
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. court — of a king
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. court — of law
  19. pop — soda
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. court — for sport
  22. pop — music
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. coach — a trainer

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