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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: fine · coach · stem · stick · chest · degree · field · safe

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. chest — a box
  4. fine — high quality
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. degree — from a university
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. chest — of your body
  9. degree — an amount
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. fine — all right
  14. stem — to come from
  15. degree — temperature
  16. chest — of your body
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. fine — a penalty

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