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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: coach · march · firm · safe · branch · court · spring · stock

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. branch — a division
  3. firm — decided
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. firm — steady
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. spring — the season
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. march — music
  12. spring — of water
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. court — for sport
  15. spring — a coil
  16. firm — a company
  17. march — the month
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. stock — shares
  20. march — the month
  21. court — of a king
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. stock — goods
  24. coach — a trainer

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