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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 120 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: mate · branch · key · pound · ruler · spring · shower · stem

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. spring — the season
  3. mate — to breed
  4. spring — of water
  5. stem — to come from
  6. key — in music
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. key — the most important part
  10. shower — to wash
  11. pound — a weight
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. branch — a division
  14. mate — a friend
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. key — for a lock
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. spring — a coil
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. shower — rain

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