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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stem · coach · foot · mate · chip · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mate — to breed
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. chip — for betting
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. mine — for digging
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stem — to come from
  10. foot — a measure
  11. mate — a partner
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. chip — to eat
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. stem — of a plant

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