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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: press · branch · clip · stem · mouse · wave · march · bark

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. press — a publisher
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. stem — to come from
  12. branch — a division
  13. clip — to cut
  14. march — music
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. press — to push
  20. clip — a video
  21. march — the month
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bark — to shout
  24. march — the month

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