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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: ground · branch · face · pass · stem · season · land · spring

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. spring — the season
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. land — ground
  5. ground — a position
  6. face — part of the head
  7. land — a country
  8. face — to point toward
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — the earth
  11. spring — a coil
  12. pass — a permit
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. spring — of water
  17. land — to come down
  18. stem — to come from
  19. season — in sport
  20. face — to confront
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. pass — to succeed

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