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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: branch · stick · stem · hand · rule · spell · spring · deal

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. rule — government
  3. spring — of water
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. rule — a law
  7. spring — a coil
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. hand — help
  10. deal — to handle
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. branch — a division
  14. spell — a short time
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. spell — letters
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. spell — magic
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. branch — of a bank

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