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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: cold · branch · file · hand · stem · ball · bank · spell

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. spell — a short time
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. file — a tool
  5. spell — magic
  6. hand — help
  7. bank — of a river
  8. file — a document
  9. ball — a great time
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bank — for money
  12. cold — an illness
  13. spell — letters
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. hand — in cards
  17. cold — not warm
  18. branch — a division
  19. bank — for money
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. ball — a dance

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