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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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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: stem · jam · spring · coach · rest · sharp · fan · foot

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. foot — a measure
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. sharp — clever
  8. rest — what's left
  9. spring — of water
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rest — a break
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. stem — to come from
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. spring — a coil
  23. rest — what's left
  24. spring — the season

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