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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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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: wind · cabinet · mate · stem · march · branch · club · fall

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. club — for golf
  3. mate — a partner
  4. march — music
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. mate — to breed
  8. club — for dancing
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. fall — to drop
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. march — the month
  14. club — a group
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. mate — a friend
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fall — to drop
  19. march — the month
  20. stem — to come from
  21. branch — a division
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. wind — moving air
  24. fall — the season

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