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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: jam · branch · coach · mug · stock · stem · kid · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mug — a cup
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. mug — a face
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. branch — a division
  9. kid — to tease
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. stock — goods
  16. kid — child
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. mug — to rob
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. stock — shares
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stem — to come from

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