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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: straw · prune · kid · stem · field · spell · key · coach

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. kid — to tease
  6. stem — to come from
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — magic
  9. prune — to trim
  10. field — a subject
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. spell — letters
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. key — in music
  16. prune — to trim
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. kid — child
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. field — farmland
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. field — for sport
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. straw — a straw man

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