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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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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 · bear · stem · spell · game · cabinet · ground · coach

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bear — the animal
  9. swing — music
  10. stem — to come from
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. spell — letters
  14. swing — to play on
  15. ground — the earth
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. swing — in golf
  18. ground — a position
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. spell — magic
  21. bear — the animal
  22. ground — crushed
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bear — to put up with

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