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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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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: branch · last · stem · mate · straw · leaves · drill · plane

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. drill — army training
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a partner
  6. plane — a tool
  7. last — finally
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. last — final
  12. drill — the tool
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. drill — a practice
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. mate — a friend
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. last — to go on
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. plane — in geometry

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