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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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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: prune · hide · stem · mate · branch · chip · bass · pop

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. prune — to trim
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — a division
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pop — music
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. pop — soda
  16. bass — the fish
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. chip — for betting
  19. prune — to trim
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bass — low music
  23. mate — a partner
  24. pop — to visit

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