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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: toast · bound · roll · date · branch · stem · tube · snap

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. snap — to click
  3. bound — certain
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bound — tied together
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. roll — a cake
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. tube — the underground
  17. branch — a division
  18. bound — obliged
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. toast — bread
  21. roll — a list
  22. date — the fruit
  23. tube — a container
  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