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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: coach · pop · cell · stem · last · tube · saw · bass

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. tube — the underground
  3. last — final
  4. cell — a phone
  5. last — finally
  6. saw — the tool
  7. last — to go on
  8. pop — music
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — the fish
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bass — low music
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. pop — soda
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pop — to visit
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stem — to come from
  22. tube — a container
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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