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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: branch · game · kid · stem · lash · rock · spell · snap

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — letters
  3. game — wild animals
  4. snap — to click
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. rock — a stone
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. game — a match
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. kid — child
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. spell — a short time
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. rock — music
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. kid — to tease
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. stem — to come from

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