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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: stem · present · file · fall · coach · chair · mine · object

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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. stem — to come from
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. object — an aim
  4. present — there
  5. mine — for digging
  6. fall — to drop
  7. object — to protest
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. chair — a leader
  11. fall — to drop
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. object — a thing
  15. present — the time now
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. present — a gift
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. fall — the season
  21. file — a document
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. stem — of a plant
  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