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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: ground · coach · bear · spell · stem · saw · rush · plane

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. stem — to come from
  4. saw — the tool
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. plane — a tool
  7. spell — letters
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bear — the animal
  10. rush — hurry
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. saw — the tool
  14. ground — a position
  15. bear — the animal
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. ground — crushed
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spell — magic
  22. ground — the earth
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — of a plant

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