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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: club · toast · coach · spring · stem · cue · last · kid

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. club — for golf
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. club — for dancing
  6. stem — to come from
  7. spring — of water
  8. last — final
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. toast — bread
  11. cue — a signal
  12. spring — the season
  13. last — to go on
  14. club — a group
  15. cue — for pool
  16. last — finally
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. kid — to tease
  19. spring — a coil
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. kid — child
  24. cue — a hint

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