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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 120 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: coach · mate · club · track · file · stem · land · present

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. club — for dancing
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. club — for golf
  6. file — a document
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — a country
  9. mate — to breed
  10. track — to keep track
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. present — the time now
  13. file — a tool
  14. track — a path
  15. mate — a partner
  16. track — a song
  17. stem — to come from
  18. present — a gift
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. club — a group
  21. file — a line of people
  22. present — there
  23. land — ground
  24. mate — a friend

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