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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: pop · tube · rule · shower · stem · spring · branch · craft

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. rule — a law
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. craft — boats
  6. shower — to wash
  7. spring — a coil
  8. shower — rain
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pop — soda
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. pop — music
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. spring — the season
  19. pop — to visit
  20. spring — of water
  21. rule — government
  22. craft — a skill
  23. tube — the underground
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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