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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: coach · last · stand · deal · net · current · content · stem

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. current — of water
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. net — in sport
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. last — final
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. deal — to handle
  12. content — happy
  13. current — happening now
  14. net — for catching
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. last — finally
  17. net — after costs
  18. last — to go on
  19. stand — to bear
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. current — electric
  22. content — the amount
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stem — of a plant

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