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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. capital — a city
  7. field — farmland
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. chest — of your body
  10. capital — money
  11. stem — to come from
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. mug — a cup
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. mug — to rob
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — for digging
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mug — a face

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