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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · coach · cell · root · capital · bat · mug · lean

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. root — of a word
  4. mug — to rob
  5. root — the cause
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bat — the animal
  8. capital — a city
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. lean — to bend
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. hand — in cards
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. hand — help
  17. cell — a phone
  18. lean — thin
  19. mug — a face
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. capital — money
  23. mug — a cup
  24. cell — in biology

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