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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: fine · mate · bulb · object · file · last · branch · stem

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. file — a document
  3. fine — all right
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. mate — a friend
  8. object — an aim
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. mate — to breed
  13. file — a tool
  14. bulb — for light
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. object — to protest
  17. branch — a division
  18. file — a line of people
  19. last — final
  20. object — a thing
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — finally

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