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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · coach · mine · mug · ball · stem

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. ball — a dance
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mine — for digging
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. ball — a great time
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a face
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. mine — belonging to me

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