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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 · lean · spring · roll · stem · arm · wax · saw

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. stem — to come from
  3. lean — thin
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. roll — a list
  7. lean — to bend
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. spring — of water
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. roll — a cake
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. stem — of a plant

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