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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: pit · branch · season · field · shower · stem · bank · cell

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. shower — to wash
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. field — for sport
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. season — of the year
  8. shower — rain
  9. cell — in biology
  10. pit — a hole
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. pit — in a race
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. season — in sport
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bank — for money
  17. stem — to come from
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — a subject

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