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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 · ball · hand · cold · leaves · lie · cabinet · branch

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. stem — to come from
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. lie — to recline
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. hand — help
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. cold — not warm
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. ball — a dance
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. hand — in cards
  24. ball — a great time

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