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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. stock — shares
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. spring — the season
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. spring — of water
  9. stem — to come from
  10. fork — in a road
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — an amount
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. degree — from a university
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. spring — a coil
  22. branch — a division
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. branch — of a bank

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