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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: rule · mine · spell · branch · press · wave · band · stem

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. press — a publisher
  5. rule — government
  6. stem — to come from
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. band — a ring
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. press — newspapers
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. mine — for digging
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. band — a music group
  21. rule — a law
  22. press — to push
  23. band — a rubber band
  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