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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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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 · key · tube · coach · dip · snap · cold · bear

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. cold — not warm
  11. stem — to come from
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. snap — to click
  14. cold — an illness
  15. tube — the underground
  16. key — in music
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — for a lock
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. dip — to sink
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. tube — a container

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