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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: date · kid · coach · bear · deal · mark · stem · perch

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bear — the animal
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — a trace
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. deal — to handle
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. perch — the fish
  19. date — the fruit
  20. kid — child
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bear — the animal
  24. perch — for a bird

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