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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: hand · temple · firm · stem · branch · drill · spring · track

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. hand — help
  3. spring — a coil
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. drill — a practice
  6. firm — steady
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. firm — a company
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. drill — the tool
  15. track — a song
  16. drill — army training
  17. spring — the season
  18. track — a path
  19. stem — to come from
  20. track — to keep track
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. spring — of water
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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