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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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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: swing · stem · season · kick · bear · pound · coach · cabinet

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. swing — in golf
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. stem — to come from
  10. swing — to play on
  11. kick — in football
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pound — a weight
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. swing — music
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bear — the animal
  24. kick — a thrill

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