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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: racket · stem · spell · rush · branch · kid · degree · safe

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. stem — to come from
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. spell — a short time
  8. degree — an amount
  9. rush — hurry
  10. kid — to tease
  11. branch — a division
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. degree — from a university
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. kid — child
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. degree — temperature
  22. spell — magic
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. spell — letters

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