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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. swing — to play on
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. wake — a trail
  7. net — after costs
  8. kick — in football
  9. swing — music
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. hand — in cards
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. swing — in golf
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bank — for money
  18. hand — help
  19. bank — of a river
  20. net — for catching
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. bank — for money
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. stem — to come from

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