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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.

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: coach · clip · stand · stem · bound · lash · chair · rock

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — a stone
  4. clip — a video
  5. rock — music
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. clip — to cut
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. stand — to bear
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. clip — for paper
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. bound — obliged
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — tied together
  22. stem — to come from
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. stand — for spectators

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