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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: game · cold · branch · stem · cue · fan · stand · mark

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cue — for pool
  3. stem — to come from
  4. cold — not warm
  5. stand — to bear
  6. game — a match
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mark — a grade
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. game — wild animals
  15. mark — a trace
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cue — a hint
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. branch — a division
  22. cue — a signal
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mark — to pay attention

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