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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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468
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: staff · rash · coach · racket · stem · sharp · wave · file

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. stem — to come from
  5. rash — a series
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. file — a document
  10. staff — employees
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. rash — hasty
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. file — a tool
  17. staff — employees
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. file — a line of people
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. staff — a stick

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