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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: coach · rash · foot · swing · fine · stem · last · cold

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. fine — all right
  4. rash — hasty
  5. swing — music
  6. stem — to come from
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. last — to go on
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. swing — in golf
  11. last — finally
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. rash — a series
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — not warm
  18. foot — a measure
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. last — final
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cold — the Cold War

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