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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: pitcher · prune · branch · season · stem · chair · nail · race

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. branch — a division
  4. race — a contest
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. chair — a leader
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. season — in sport
  15. race — the arms race
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. prune — to trim
  19. season — of the year
  20. race — humankind
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. prune — to trim

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