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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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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 · stem · toast · arm · cap · cold · rest · chip

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. chip — to eat
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. rest — a break
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. toast — bread
  8. stem — to come from
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cold — not warm
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cold — an illness
  15. rest — what's left
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. chip — for betting
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cap — of ice
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rest — what's left
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. cap — a lid

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