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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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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: mate · kid · stick · stand · saw · stem · toast · coach

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. kid — to tease
  6. stem — to come from
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stand — to bear
  9. toast — bread
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mate — to breed
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. kid — child
  19. mate — a partner
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. mate — a friend
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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