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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: jam · season · cold · coach · suit · stem · club · chest

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. suit — in cards
  3. chest — of your body
  4. season — in sport
  5. chest — a box
  6. club — for golf
  7. suit — to fit
  8. club — a group
  9. suit — clothes
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. club — for dancing
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. stem — to come from
  17. chest — of your body
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. season — of the year
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — an illness
  24. coach — a trainer

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