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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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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: branch · cold · court · root · hide · arm · rest · stem

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. court — for sport
  3. stem — to come from
  4. rest — a break
  5. root — of a plant
  6. cold — an illness
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. root — the cause
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. court — of a king
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. court — of law
  19. root — of a word
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. cold — not warm
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. arm — part of the body

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