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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.

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: ground · snap · key · roll · cold · coach · stem · hand

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. key — for a lock
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. ground — a position
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. cold — an illness
  11. roll — a list
  12. ground — the earth
  13. key — the most important part
  14. roll — a cake
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. stem — to come from
  19. snap — to click
  20. key — in music
  21. ground — crushed
  22. cold — not warm
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. hand — help

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