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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.

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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: key · fall · stem · cap · march · tear · club · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. club — a group
  3. tear — to rip
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. fall — to drop
  6. club — for dancing
  7. key — in music
  8. fall — the season
  9. cap — a hat
  10. tear — from crying
  11. key — for a lock
  12. club — for golf
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. stem — to come from
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cap — of ice
  17. tear — from crying
  18. key — the most important part
  19. march — music
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. cap — a lid
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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