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

Word bank: tear · stem · leaves · wind · coach · swing

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. tear — from crying
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. swing — to play on
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stem — to come from
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — of a tree

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