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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: fan · stem · ball · prune · object · bear · bat · coach

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. ball — a great time
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. object — to protest
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. prune — to trim
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. prune — to trim
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. object — an aim
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. object — a thing
  24. ball — a dance

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