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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: spell · lean · tear · cell · staff · bear · ball · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. staff — employees
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. lean — to bend
  7. staff — employees
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bear — the animal
  11. tear — to rip
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bear — the animal
  15. lean — thin
  16. spell — a short time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cell — in biology
  20. ball — a great time
  21. tear — from crying
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — magic
  24. ball — a round shape

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