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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: date · stem · bark · wound · wax · deal · branch · capital

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. branch — a division
  3. deal — to handle
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — money
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — to grow
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wound — an injury
  18. capital — a city
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. date — the fruit

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