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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: temple · spell · bear · branch · spring · stem · chair · clip

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. clip — for paper
  3. spell — a short time
  4. clip — a video
  5. spell — letters
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. branch — a division
  9. spring — a coil
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. spring — of water
  12. clip — to cut
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. spring — the season
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. spell — magic
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bear — the animal
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bear — the animal

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