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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 · cue · wound · ground · leaves · march · branch · snap

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. march — the month
  6. wound — an injury
  7. branch — a division
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. cue — a hint
  10. ground — the earth
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. cue — for pool
  15. stem — to come from
  16. ground — crushed
  17. snap — to click
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cue — a signal
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. ground — a position

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