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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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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: wound · key · stem · ball · coach · chest

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. ball — a dance
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. stem — to come from
  6. wound — an injury
  7. key — for a lock
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. key — the most important part
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. chest — a box
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. chest — of your body
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. key — in music
  18. chest — of your body

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