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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 · shower · mug · snap · can · coach · content · bound

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. mug — a face
  5. content — happy
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. mug — to rob
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bound — obliged
  10. can — to be able to
  11. shower — to wash
  12. can — a tin
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bound — certain
  15. content — the amount
  16. mug — a cup
  17. snap — to click
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. shower — rain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. can — a tin
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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