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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. board — to get on
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. last — to go on
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. last — final
  10. stem — to come from
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. branch — a division
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — in a road
  19. capital — a city
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. last — finally
  22. snap — to click
  23. board — a committee
  24. capital — money

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