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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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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: bay · coach · current · stem · branch · hand · deal · prune

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  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. bay — to keep at bay
  2. current — of water
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. prune — to trim
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. prune — to trim
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. current — happening now
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. hand — in cards
  12. branch — a division
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. hand — help
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. current — electric
  22. stem — to come from
  23. deal — an agreement
  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