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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: pound · spell · stem · mark · last · fan · content · coach

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. last — to go on
  3. content — the amount
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pound — a weight
  6. last — final
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. mark — a trace
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. last — finally
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. mark — a grade
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — magic
  20. content — happy
  21. stem — to come from
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. spell — letters

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