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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: stand · staff · wound · stem · season · coach · perch · ball

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. staff — a stick
  8. perch — the fish
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. ball — a dance
  11. season — of the year
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. staff — employees
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. staff — employees
  24. stem — to come from

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