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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: jam · perch · stem · branch · wake · last · ball · kid

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. stem — to come from
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. wake — a trail
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. last — final
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. kid — child
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. kid — to tease
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. last — finally
  18. perch — the fish
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. ball — a dance
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. last — to go on
  24. branch — a division

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