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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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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: bear · coach · wake · hide · stem · cell · prune · band

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. wake — a trail
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. cell — a phone
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cell — in biology
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. band — a ring
  24. stem — to come from

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