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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 · band · can · stem · present · cell · cap · kid

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. present — there
  3. cell — a phone
  4. present — the time now
  5. band — a ring
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. cap — a lid
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. present — a gift
  12. can — to be able to
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cell — in biology
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. kid — child
  17. band — a music group
  18. cap — a hat
  19. kid — to tease
  20. can — a tin
  21. stem — to come from
  22. can — a tin
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — a division

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