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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 120 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 · branch · land · fall · kid · wake · craft · current

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. fall — the season
  6. stem — to come from
  7. land — to come down
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — electric
  12. land — ground
  13. kid — child
  14. fall — to drop
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. craft — boats
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. craft — a skill
  19. branch — a division
  20. kid — to tease
  21. wake — a trail
  22. current — of water
  23. land — a country
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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