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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: roll · stem · jam · chest · straw · pop · field · coach

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. chest — a box
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. stem — to come from
  6. pop — to visit
  7. field — a subject
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. field — for sport
  10. roll — a list
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pop — soda
  14. chest — of your body
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. pop — music
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. roll — a cake
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. field — farmland
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. jam — in traffic

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