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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: perch · branch · file · stem · scale · board · cell · root

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. scale — size or range
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. cell — a phone
  11. root — of a word
  12. file — a tool
  13. cell — in biology
  14. file — a document
  15. stem — to come from
  16. board — to get on
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. root — of a plant
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. board — a committee
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. root — the cause

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