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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 116 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: cap · branch · rash · race · stem · staff · mine · pop

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. race — the arms race
  3. pop — soda
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. staff — a stick
  9. cap — a lid
  10. mine — for digging
  11. pop — music
  12. staff — employees
  13. cap — a hat
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. race — a contest
  16. pop — to visit
  17. rash — hasty
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. race — humankind
  20. stem — to come from
  21. rash — a series
  22. branch — a division
  23. cap — of ice
  24. mine — an explosive

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