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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. mine — for digging
  3. branch — a division
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. season — of the year
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. stem — to come from
  10. spring — of water
  11. prune — to trim
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. season — in sport
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. charge — in control
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. spring — a coil
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. spring — the season
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. charge — a price
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. charge — electricity

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