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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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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: row · roll · band · branch · drill · stem · trunk · mug

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. band — a music group
  3. roll — a list
  4. stem — to come from
  5. branch — a division
  6. mug — a cup
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. drill — a practice
  9. mug — to rob
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. row — a line
  13. drill — the tool
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. band — a ring
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. row — to paddle
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. mug — a face
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. drill — army training
  24. roll — a cake

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