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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 120 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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. board — a committee
  4. pop — to visit
  5. branch — a division
  6. stem — to come from
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pop — music
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. hand — in cards
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — a short time
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. spell — magic
  22. pop — soda
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. board — to get on

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