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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 116 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: leaves · fork · spell · wound · branch · hand · nail · stem

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. spell — a short time
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. wound — an injury
  8. branch — a division
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. spell — magic
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. spell — letters
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. stem — to come from
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fork — in a road
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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