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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.

Make a worksheet

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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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: branch · last · rule · track · nail · stem

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. branch — a division
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. rule — government
  6. last — final
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. track — a song
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. stem — to come from
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a path
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. nail — for a hammer

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