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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 · straw · capital · date · bear · pass · coach · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pass — a permit
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. date — the fruit
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. stem — to come from
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a city
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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