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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: coach · squash · wound · fan · pop · bound · wake · stem

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. squash — the sport
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pop — soda
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bound — certain
  9. pop — music
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bound — tied together
  12. pop — to visit
  13. wake — a trail
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. wound — an injury
  16. squash — to crush
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bound — obliged

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