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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: mouse · cell · cold · stem · pitcher · plane · coach · roll

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. roll — a list
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. plane — a tool
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. stem — to come from
  9. cold — an illness
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. cold — not warm
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. cell — a phone
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cell — in biology
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. roll — a cake

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