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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 · toast · fine · kid · last · coach · field · perch

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. kid — to tease
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. field — a subject
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. last — finally
  7. fine — all right
  8. toast — bread
  9. field — farmland
  10. kid — child
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. field — for sport
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fine — high quality
  19. stem — to come from
  20. perch — the fish
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. last — final
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. last — to go on

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