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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.

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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: cell · coach · wax · pitch · chest · stem · fine · rash

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  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. cell — in biology
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. stem — to come from
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — high quality
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wax — to grow
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. chest — a box
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rash — a series
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cell — a phone
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. pitch — completely
  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