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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · capital · season · hide · coach · rash · content · file

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. content — happy
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. rash — hasty
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a document
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. content — the amount
  10. rash — a series
  11. season — of the year
  12. capital — money
  13. stem — to come from
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. season — in sport
  16. capital — a city
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. file — a line of people

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