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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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468
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 · pitcher · land · calf · racket · stem · stand · chest

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chest — a box
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stand — to bear
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. chest — of your body
  12. land — a country
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. land — to come down
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. stem — to come from
  21. land — ground
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. stem — a stem cell

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