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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: branch · field · cue · fall · file · snap · stem · key

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  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. field — for sport
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. field — farmland
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. fall — to drop
  6. field — a subject
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — to come from
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — for pool
  12. key — the most important part
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to click
  15. file — a document
  16. cue — a hint
  17. file — a line of people
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. fall — the season
  20. key — for a lock
  21. branch — a division
  22. key — in music
  23. fall — to drop
  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