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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 116 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 · game · stem · spell · cabinet · bear · fan · hand

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stem — to come from
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. game — a match
  8. hand — help
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. spell — a short time
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. branch — a division
  17. spell — letters
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. hand — in cards
  20. game — wild animals
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. spell — magic
  24. fan — a supporter

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