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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.

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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: kid · drill · swing · ground · branch · stem · rock · bound

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. kid — to tease
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — the tool
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — obliged
  8. swing — to play on
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. ground — a position
  11. stem — to come from
  12. rock — music
  13. drill — army training
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — music
  20. rock — a stone
  21. bound — certain
  22. branch — a division
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. ground — crushed

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