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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 · firm · fan · present · branch · stem · coach · bark

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. firm — steady
  4. game — wild animals
  5. firm — a company
  6. branch — a division
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. present — a gift
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. present — the time now
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bark — to shout
  17. game — a match
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. firm — decided
  21. present — there
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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