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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 120 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: face · pop · bat · season · perch · bowl · stem · coach

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. face — part of the head
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pop — soda
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bat — the animal
  12. face — to confront
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. season — of the year
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. pop — to visit
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. season — in sport

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