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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: kid · coach · stock · dip · branch · mate · shower · arm

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. dip — to sink
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. mate — a friend
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mate — a partner
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stock — shares
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. stock — goods
  14. branch — a division
  15. kid — child
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. mate — to breed
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. kid — to tease

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