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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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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: spring · branch · wave · ball · stem · mate · trunk · staff

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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. stem — a stem cell
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. spring — of water
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. ball — a great time
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. spring — the season
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a partner
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. spring — a coil
  18. ball — a dance
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. branch — a division
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. staff — employees

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