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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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: foot · plane · swing · stem · coach · wound · press · perch

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. plane — a tool
  5. stem — to come from
  6. foot — a measure
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. press — newspapers
  10. wound — an injury
  11. perch — the fish
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. swing — in golf
  18. press — a publisher
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. swing — music
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. swing — to play on
  23. press — to push
  24. wound — an injury

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