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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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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: stem · bear · branch · board · staff · spring · current · kid

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. staff — a stick
  3. branch — a division
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — child
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. board — to get on
  12. current — of water
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. current — happening now
  15. spring — the season
  16. current — electric
  17. staff — employees
  18. bear — the animal
  19. spring — of water
  20. stem — to come from
  21. spring — a coil
  22. board — a committee
  23. staff — employees
  24. kid — to tease

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