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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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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: rash · wind · race · coach · stem · bear

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bear — the animal
  3. race — humankind
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. race — a contest
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wind — moving air
  8. race — the arms race
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — to come from
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. wind — moving air
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rash — a series

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