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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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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: shower · wake · wound · branch · stem · stand · patient · coach

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stand — to bear
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wake — a trail
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. shower — to wash
  11. branch — a division
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wound — an injury
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wound — an injury
  21. shower — rain
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. stem — a stem cell

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