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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: stem · branch · drill · spell · bowl · patient · mine · bulb

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. drill — army training
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. spell — a short time
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. drill — a practice
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. spell — magic
  16. mine — for digging
  17. spell — letters
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. branch — a division
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. stem — to come from

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