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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 120 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: mug · coach · pop · spring · branch · dip · shower · stem

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. spring — the season
  5. branch — a division
  6. mug — a cup
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. dip — to sink
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. mug — a face
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. spring — a coil
  15. stem — to come from
  16. mug — to rob
  17. shower — to wash
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. spring — of water
  20. shower — rain
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. pop — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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