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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: fine · perch · cell · stem · date · chair · wake · branch

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cell — in biology
  6. chair — a leader
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wake — a trail
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. branch — a division
  11. date — the fruit
  12. fine — all right
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. stem — to come from
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. fine — high quality
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. cell — a phone
  21. perch — the fish
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. fine — a penalty

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