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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — a division
  4. land — to come down
  5. rest — a break
  6. land — a country
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. stem — to come from
  10. land — ground
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rest — what's left
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. trunk — of a tree

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