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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  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. stem — a stem cell
  2. branch — a division
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. prune — to trim
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. stem — to come from
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. file — a document
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. prune — to trim
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a match
  22. file — a tool
  23. branch — of a tree
  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