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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 120 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: arm · cabinet · branch · leaves · drill · last · bulb · stem

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bulb — for light
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bulb — for light
  9. drill — a practice
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. drill — army training
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. last — to go on
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. drill — the tool
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. leaves — of a tree

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