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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · spell · bay · mine · dip · trunk · branch · stem

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. branch — a division
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. mate — a partner
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mate — a friend
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. spell — a short time
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. dip — to sink
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. spell — magic
  20. mine — for digging
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. stem — to come from
  23. mate — to breed
  24. branch — of a tree

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