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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: stem · swing · pitcher · arm · bound · cap · branch · fan

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bound — certain
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. swing — in golf
  8. cap — of ice
  9. swing — music
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. branch — a division
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bound — tied together
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bound — obliged
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. cap — a lid

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