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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 · march · mark · club · kid · coach · lean · rash

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. march — the month
  4. lean — thin
  5. march — music
  6. mark — a trace
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. mark — a grade
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. club — a group
  13. rash — hasty
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. lean — to bend
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. club — for golf
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. march — the month
  20. kid — child
  21. club — for dancing
  22. rash — a series
  23. kid — to tease
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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