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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: wake · craft · staff · march · pitcher · squash · stem · coach

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. craft — boats
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. squash — the sport
  10. staff — a stick
  11. stem — to come from
  12. march — the month
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. craft — a skill
  15. march — the month
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. march — music
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. squash — to crush
  24. wake — a trail

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