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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.

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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: stand · leaves · pop · snap · bat · land · branch · stem

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. pop — soda
  3. land — to come down
  4. branch — a division
  5. bat — the animal
  6. land — ground
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. land — a country
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stand — to bear
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. pop — to visit
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. pop — music
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to click
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. branch — of a bank

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