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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: fine · pound · mark · last · branch · stem · coach · saw

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — high quality
  8. mark — a grade
  9. last — final
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — a weight
  13. branch — a division
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. last — finally
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. stem — to come from
  22. last — to go on
  23. mark — a trace
  24. saw — the tool

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