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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: stick · kid · stem · branch · clip · deal · spell · chair

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. branch — a division
  3. spell — a short time
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. spell — letters
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. deal — to handle
  10. chair — a leader
  11. stem — to come from
  12. clip — for paper
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — to tease
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — a video
  24. spell — magic

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