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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. prune — to trim
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. band — a music group
  6. stand — to bear
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. can — a tin
  11. band — a ring
  12. can — a tin
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. prune — to trim
  18. can — to be able to
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. kick — in football
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stand — for spectators

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