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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 · snap · kid · fine · last · spell · ground · stem

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. ground — crushed
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. snap — to click
  5. last — final
  6. ground — a position
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. last — finally
  9. kid — child
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. kid — to tease
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. fine — all right
  20. last — to go on
  21. ground — the earth
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. spell — magic
  24. fine — high quality

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