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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: bark · spring · spell · branch · wind · stem · can · board

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. spell — letters
  5. can — a tin
  6. spring — a coil
  7. board — a committee
  8. can — a tin
  9. spring — the season
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. spring — of water
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. spell — a short time
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. spell — magic
  18. board — to get on
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. wind — moving air
  22. branch — a division
  23. wind — moving air
  24. can — to be able to

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