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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: mark · branch · rock · stem · spell · lean · chest · row

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. chest — of your body
  3. lean — thin
  4. spell — letters
  5. lean — to bend
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. row — to paddle
  11. spell — magic
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. rock — a stone
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rock — music
  16. chest — a box
  17. branch — a division
  18. spell — a short time
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — a trace
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. row — a line
  24. stem — of a plant

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