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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 116 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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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: kid · pit · stem · stick · coach · drill · lean · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pit — in a race
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. kid — child
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. pit — a hole
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. drill — a practice
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — thin
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — army training

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