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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.

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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: bark · coach · stand · last · fine · stem · mark · spring

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. last — finally
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. bark — to shout
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. last — final
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. fine — all right
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. fine — high quality
  13. mark — a grade
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. spring — of water
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. mark — a trace
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. last — to go on

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