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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 · field · coach · bank · branch · cabinet · game · band

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bank — for money
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. game — a match
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. field — farmland
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. field — a subject
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bank — for money
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. branch — a division
  19. stem — to come from
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a ring
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bank — of a river
  24. branch — of a bank

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