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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: band · spring · lean · stem · mark · nail · face · branch

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. spring — of water
  4. mark — a trace
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. face — to confront
  8. lean — to bend
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. spring — a coil
  12. band — a music group
  13. face — part of the head
  14. mark — a grade
  15. branch — a division
  16. face — to point toward
  17. lean — thin
  18. band — a ring
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — to come from
  21. spring — the season
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. lean — to rest against

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