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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: mark · sharp · hide · stem · leaves · coach · last · club

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. mark — a trace
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. stem — to come from
  6. last — final
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for dancing
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. mark — a grade
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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