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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. branch — a division
  3. spell — magic
  4. bear — the animal
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. root — of a word
  8. roll — a list
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bear — the animal
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. club — for golf
  13. root — of a plant
  14. roll — a cake
  15. club — for dancing
  16. spell — letters
  17. club — a group
  18. root — the cause
  19. spell — a short time
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. stem — a stem cell

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