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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 120 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: perch · cell · bear · stem · coach · pitcher · safe · spring

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bear — the animal
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bear — the animal
  6. spring — the season
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stem — to come from
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. spring — of water
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. cell — a phone
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. perch — the fish
  24. cell — in biology

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