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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: coach · bound · sharp · fine · stem · rock · game · hand

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. sharp — clever
  4. hand — in cards
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rock — music
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bound — tied together
  10. game — wild animals
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. game — a match
  16. bound — certain
  17. fine — all right
  18. bound — obliged
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fine — high quality
  24. hand — help

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