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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: stem · coach · mate · pit · bear · wound · mug · capital

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stem — to come from
  4. pit — a hole
  5. mate — a partner
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mug — a cup
  8. pit — in a race
  9. mug — a face
  10. capital — money
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. capital — a city
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bear — the animal
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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