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

Word bank: cell · stem · branch · bear · pound · temple

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — a phone
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bear — the animal
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bear — the animal
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. cell — in biology
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — a division
  18. pound — a weight

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