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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 116 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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. branch — a division
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. field — farmland
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. plane — a tool
  12. firm — steady
  13. firm — a company
  14. kid — child
  15. stem — to come from
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. firm — decided
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. kid — to tease
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. march — the month
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. branch — 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