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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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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: coach · present · stem · wind · snap · can · squash · bowl

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. present — the time now
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. stem — to come from
  7. snap — to click
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. squash — to crush
  15. present — there
  16. squash — the sport
  17. wind — moving air
  18. can — a tin
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. wind — moving air
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. stem — a stem cell

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