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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.

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: field · wound · content · stem · branch · prune · hide · lash

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. field — a subject
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. branch — a division
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. content — the amount
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. field — farmland
  15. content — happy
  16. prune — to trim
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stem — to come from
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. field — for sport
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. stem — a stem cell

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