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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: coach · swing · wound · chest · stem · charge · ruler · mine

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — to play on
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. mine — for digging
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. chest — of your body
  8. swing — music
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. stem — to come from
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wound — an injury
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. charge — a price
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. chest — a box
  18. charge — electricity
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. charge — in control
  24. wound — an injury

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