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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.

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: game · coach · tear · saw · sharp · temple · swing · stem

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. tear — to rip
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. sharp — clever
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. tear — from crying
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stem — to come from
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. swing — music
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. swing — to play on
  20. saw — the tool
  21. game — wild animals
  22. tear — from crying
  23. swing — in golf
  24. stem — of a plant

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