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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: stem · kid · cold · wake · lean · coach · bulb · roll

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. lean — thin
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. kid — to tease
  8. cold — an illness
  9. kid — child
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — a list
  12. bulb — for light
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. lean — to bend
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cold — not warm
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bulb — for light
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. stem — to come from

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