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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — a division
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. snap — to click
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. ground — the earth
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. ground — crushed
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wax — to grow
  23. hand — help
  24. ground — a position

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