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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. hand — in cards
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. stem — to come from
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. sharp — clever
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. branch — a division
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. hand — help
  22. season — in sport
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — of a bank

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