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

Word bank: tear · stem · cell · branch · bound · stand

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. cell — a phone
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. cell — in biology
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bound — tied together
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bound — obliged
  13. branch — a division
  14. stand — to bear
  15. tear — to rip
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. branch — of a bank

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