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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: pound · bore · stem · game · ground · mouse · squash · coach

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. bore — to tire
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. game — a match
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. ground — the earth
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. ground — a position
  16. bore — to drill
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. game — wild animals
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. pound — a weight
  24. ground — crushed

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