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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 · straw · coach · cap · row · cabinet · toast · present

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. stem — to come from
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. present — a gift
  8. toast — bread
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. cap — of ice
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. present — the time now
  18. row — to paddle
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. present — there
  24. cap — a hat

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