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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
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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: hide · staff · swing · fall · branch · bound · stem · cap

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bound — obliged
  6. staff — employees
  7. cap — of ice
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. fall — to drop
  10. swing — music
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. swing — to play on
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — a hat
  16. fall — the season
  17. branch — a division
  18. fall — to drop
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bound — tied together
  22. staff — a stick
  23. bound — certain
  24. branch — 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