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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: toast · game · coach · date · stem · tube · straw · mine

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. game — a match
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. stem — to come from
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — a container
  11. date — the fruit
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. game — wild animals
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. toast — bread
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. tube — the underground
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mine — for digging
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. game — a kind of play

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