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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: date · calf · stem · dip · chest · cue · branch · field

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. field — farmland
  3. stem — to come from
  4. chest — of your body
  5. dip — to sink
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. branch — a division
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. cue — a hint
  10. field — for sport
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. cue — for pool
  14. date — the fruit
  15. field — a subject
  16. chest — of your body
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. chest — a box
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. cue — a signal
  24. calf — a young animal

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