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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: stem · pound · coach · cabinet · pit · rock · degree · wound

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  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. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pit — in a race
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. wound — an injury
  11. degree — an amount
  12. rock — music
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. pound — a weight
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — from a university
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. pit — a hole
  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