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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: present · squash · coach · jam · spring · wax · stem · wound

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. stem — to come from
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. spring — a coil
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. present — the time now
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wound — an injury
  10. spring — the season
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the sport
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. present — a gift
  17. spring — of water
  18. wound — an injury
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. present — there
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. jam — a tight spot

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