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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: foot · fork · stem · coach · chip · drill · band · degree

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. foot — a measure
  3. degree — an amount
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. stem — to come from
  7. chip — for betting
  8. drill — army training
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. band — a ring
  14. degree — from a university
  15. chip — to eat
  16. fork — in a road
  17. drill — a practice
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. drill — the tool
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. degree — temperature
  22. band — a music group
  23. coach — a trainer
  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