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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 · pop · mate · stock · bear · season · jam · branch

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. branch — a division
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mate — a partner
  6. season — of the year
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. mate — a friend
  9. pop — soda
  10. stock — shares
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bear — the animal
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. stock — goods
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pop — music
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. season — in sport
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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