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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: mine · stem · track · wind · chair · calf · coach · pitch

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. chair — a leader
  3. mine — for digging
  4. stem — to come from
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. wind — moving air
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. track — a song
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pitch — completely
  23. track — a path
  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