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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: ball · chest · stem · fan · coach · current · rock · staff

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. current — of water
  3. staff — employees
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. chest — a box
  6. ball — a dance
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rock — music
  10. stem — to come from
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. rock — a stone
  15. staff — a stick
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — electric
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. staff — employees
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. chest — of your body

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