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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: stem · squash · fork · fall · cabinet · branch · rash · field

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. field — a subject
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. squash — to crush
  7. fall — the season
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. field — farmland
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. fall — to drop
  14. squash — the sport
  15. stem — to come from
  16. fall — to drop
  17. branch — a division
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. rash — hasty
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. fork — in a road
  22. rash — a series
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. field — for sport

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