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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 116 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 · file · stem · cue · track · last · bore · coach

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. track — a song
  5. file — a line of people
  6. rash — hasty
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. last — final
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. track — a path
  11. cue — for pool
  12. track — to keep track
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bore — to drill
  15. last — finally
  16. rash — a series
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — a hint
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. file — a document
  22. stem — to come from
  23. file — a tool
  24. last — to go on

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