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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 · cue · cap · pitcher · kick · rest · bass · coach

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cap — a lid
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cue — a hint
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bass — the fish
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bass — low music
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — in football
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rest — a break
  24. coach — a trainer

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