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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: march · lash · coach · wound · swing · mug · stick · stem

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. stem — to come from
  4. swing — in golf
  5. mug — a cup
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. swing — music
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. march — the month
  10. mug — to rob
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. swing — to play on
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. march — music
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. march — the month
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mug — a face
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stem — of a plant

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