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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: row · drill · coach · ground · stand · stem · arm · chip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. ground — crushed
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. drill — a practice
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. chip — for betting
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — the tool
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. ground — a position
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. ground — the earth
  21. row — a line
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. row — to paddle
  24. stand — to bear

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