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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: swing · branch · stem · snap · leaves · hide · chest · wind

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chest — a box
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. branch — a division
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. snap — to click
  14. chest — of your body
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. swing — in golf
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — music
  23. wind — moving air
  24. hide — animal skin

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