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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: mate · sharp · branch · saw · stem · wax · prune · cap

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. cap — a hat
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. wax — to grow
  9. branch — a division
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. cap — of ice
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. mate — a partner
  15. cap — a lid
  16. saw — the tool
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. mate — a friend
  19. stem — to come from
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mate — to breed
  22. prune — to trim
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — exactly

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