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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: row · rest · branch · stem · content · wound · press · nail

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. branch — a division
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. content — happy
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. row — to paddle
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. stem — to come from
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. press — to push
  14. row — a line
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. wound — an injury
  19. content — the amount
  20. wound — an injury
  21. press — newspapers
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. press — a publisher
  24. nail — for a hammer

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