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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: stem · chair · pop · straw · coach · nail · leaves · season

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pop — to visit
  6. chair — a leader
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. season — of the year
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — to come from
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. pop — music
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. season — in sport
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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