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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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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: stick · press · stem · cell · rest · bound · lie · branch

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. stem — to come from
  4. rest — a break
  5. cell — a phone
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bound — tied together
  9. rest — what's left
  10. press — to push
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. rest — what's left
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. press — a publisher
  18. cell — in biology
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — certain
  24. lie — to recline

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