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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spring · branch · racket · land · stem · bark

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stem — to come from
  8. land — to come down
  9. spring — of water
  10. bark — to shout
  11. spring — a coil
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. land — ground
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. branch — a division
  17. land — a country
  18. spring — the season

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