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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: court · sharp · stem · branch · can · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. stem — to come from
  4. can — a tin
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. branch — a division
  7. can — to be able to
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. court — of a king
  12. sharp — clever
  13. game — wild animals
  14. court — of law
  15. can — a tin
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. court — for sport
  18. game — a match

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