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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: row · temple · bat · stem · pop · lean · coach · wake

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. stem — to come from
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pop — to visit
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bat — the animal
  11. lean — to bend
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a line
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — a trail
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. pop — soda
  21. lean — thin
  22. pop — music
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — a stem cell

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