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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: leaves · toast · bat · stem · branch · spring · pound · last

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. last — finally
  5. last — final
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bat — the animal
  16. toast — bread
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. spring — of water
  20. pound — a weight
  21. spring — the season
  22. stem — to come from
  23. last — to go on
  24. leaves — to go away

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