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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: bat · lie · spring · land · branch · tube · ruler · stem

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. spring — a coil
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. tube — a container
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. spring — the season
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. branch — a division
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. land — a country
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bat — the animal
  14. land — ground
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. spring — of water
  17. lie — to recline
  18. stem — to come from
  19. tube — the underground
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. land — to come down
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. tube — in a tire

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