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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: court · drill · stem · branch · mate · can · nail · pound

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pound — a weight
  6. court — of law
  7. stem — to come from
  8. court — of a king
  9. mate — a partner
  10. drill — army training
  11. can — a tin
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. drill — the tool
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. mate — to breed
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. drill — a practice
  21. branch — a division
  22. court — for sport
  23. mate — a friend
  24. stem — of a plant

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