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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: object · coach · staff · stem · chest · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. staff — employees
  5. object — to protest
  6. stem — to come from
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. chest — of your body
  9. staff — a stick
  10. chest — a box
  11. object — an aim
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. chest — of your body
  17. object — a thing
  18. staff — employees

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