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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 · chair · branch · bear · ground · fork · temple · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bear — the animal
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. stem — to come from
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. ground — crushed
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bear — the animal
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. fork — in a road
  19. ground — a position
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. squash — to crush
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — to sit on

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