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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: toast · rock · rest · craft · coach · shower · straw · stem

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. craft — a skill
  5. rest — what's left
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. craft — boats
  8. rock — music
  9. toast — bread
  10. rock — a stone
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. rest — a break
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. shower — rain
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rest — what's left
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. shower — to wash
  21. stem — to come from
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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