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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: stem · coach · spell · content · bat · swing · root · bay

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. swing — in golf
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. content — the amount
  9. root — the cause
  10. swing — music
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. spell — a short time
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. spell — letters
  20. swing — to play on
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. spell — magic
  23. root — of a word
  24. content — happy

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