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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pop · chip · coach · track · stem · mouse · kid · row

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. pop — soda
  3. track — a song
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. kid — to tease
  6. pop — to visit
  7. track — a path
  8. row — to paddle
  9. kid — child
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — to come from
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — for betting
  20. pop — music
  21. row — a line
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. track — to keep track

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