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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: perch · key · coach · stem · march · toast · stick · present

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. key — for a lock
  5. perch — the fish
  6. key — in music
  7. march — the month
  8. present — there
  9. stem — to come from
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. key — the most important part
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. toast — bread
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. present — a gift
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. present — the time now
  24. stem — a stem cell

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