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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: deal · branch · stem · prune · chest · squash · current · march

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — electric
  3. deal — to handle
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. chest — a box
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. chest — of your body
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. chest — of your body
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — the sport
  18. stem — to come from
  19. current — happening now
  20. prune — to trim
  21. squash — to crush
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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