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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 · spring · rash · mark · ground · pass · branch · file

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. ground — crushed
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — to come from
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. spring — of water
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. rash — hasty
  12. mark — a trace
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a document
  15. ground — the earth
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. pass — a permit
  18. ground — a position
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. file — a line of people
  21. mark — a grade
  22. rash — a series
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. spring — a coil

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