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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: root · lie · staff · branch · land · stem · hand · season

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. hand — in cards
  4. land — ground
  5. root — of a plant
  6. root — of a word
  7. season — of the year
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. land — to come down
  14. lie — to recline
  15. staff — employees
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. land — a country
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. root — the cause
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. hand — help
  24. branch — a division

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