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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. track — a path
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. stem — to come from
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stock — shares
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — goods
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. branch — a division
  21. track — to keep track
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bank — for money
  24. track — a song

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