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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 · stem · branch · arm · clip · pit · spring · pound

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. clip — a video
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. branch — a division
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — of water
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pit — in a race
  16. clip — to cut
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pound — a weight
  19. spring — the season
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. clip — for paper
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. stem — to come from
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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