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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: racket · season · stem · rule · bound · coach · hand · content

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. content — the amount
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. stem — to come from
  6. season — of the year
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. rule — government
  10. hand — in cards
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. content — happy
  15. hand — help
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bound — tied together
  18. season — in sport
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — obliged
  24. rule — a law

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