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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 120 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: last · cue · mouse · staff · field · stem · bulb · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. cue — for pool
  4. staff — employees
  5. field — for sport
  6. last — final
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. staff — employees
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. branch — a division
  13. last — to go on
  14. staff — a stick
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. last — finally
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. stem — to come from
  20. field — a subject
  21. cue — a hint
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. field — farmland
  24. cue — a signal

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