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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: fall · branch · file · stem · stick · bowl · patient · march

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stem — to come from
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. fall — the season
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. file — a document
  14. march — the month
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. fall — to drop
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. fall — to drop
  19. file — a line of people
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. file — a tool

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