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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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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: key · stem · saw · squash · branch · sharp · court · leaves

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. saw — the tool
  5. court — for sport
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. key — in music
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. court — of law
  10. sharp — clever
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. court — of a king
  13. saw — the tool
  14. key — the most important part
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. squash — the sport
  17. stem — to come from
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. key — for a lock
  24. branch — a division

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