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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: present · spell · branch · ground · band · suit · mate · stem

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mate — to breed
  3. suit — to fit
  4. band — a music group
  5. suit — clothes
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. present — a gift
  8. spell — letters
  9. mate — a partner
  10. present — there
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — a division
  13. mate — a friend
  14. spell — magic
  15. ground — a position
  16. suit — in cards
  17. ground — the earth
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. ground — crushed
  20. present — the time now
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — to come from
  24. spell — a short time

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