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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: arm · pitch · coach · branch · game · stock · stem · racket

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. stock — goods
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. branch — a division
  7. game — a match
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stock — shares
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. stem — to come from
  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