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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 · fall · fan · mate · branch · coach · wax · rush

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. branch — a division
  6. wax — to grow
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. mate — to breed
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. fall — the season
  21. stem — to come from
  22. fall — to drop
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. fall — to drop

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