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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: branch · stick · cap · stem · rush · game · wax · bat

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. cap — a hat
  3. wax — to grow
  4. game — a match
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. bat — the animal
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. stem — to come from
  13. cap — a lid
  14. branch — a division
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. rush — hurry
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. stem — a stem cell

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