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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: lash · branch · stem · spring · clip · arm · present · club

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. branch — a division
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — a group
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. spring — the season
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. spring — a coil
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. stem — to come from
  14. present — a gift
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. club — for golf
  19. clip — a video
  20. present — the time now
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. present — there
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. spring — of water

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