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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 120 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: pit · bound · nail · content · face · march · stem · coach

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. content — happy
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. march — the month
  6. stem — to come from
  7. face — to confront
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bound — certain
  10. face — part of the head
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bound — obliged
  13. content — the amount
  14. march — the month
  15. pit — in a race
  16. march — music
  17. bound — tied together
  18. pit — a hole
  19. face — to point toward
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. content — videos and posts

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