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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: mine · coach · stand · pit · court · cue · stem · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. court — for sport
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stand — to bear
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. mine — for digging
  10. court — of law
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pit — in a race
  16. cue — for pool
  17. pit — a hole
  18. court — of a king
  19. cue — a signal
  20. tear — to rip
  21. cue — a hint
  22. tear — from crying
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. stand — on your feet

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