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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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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 · leaves · pound · spring · perch · chip · deal · stem

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  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. perch — the fish
  2. spring — a coil
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. stem — to come from
  9. chip — for betting
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — to handle
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — a weight
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. chip — to eat
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. perch — for a bird
  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