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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: branch · wake · tear · stem · club · hide · fork · capital

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. wake — a trail
  3. tear — to rip
  4. stem — to come from
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. club — for dancing
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. branch — a division
  14. fork — in a road
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. club — a group
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. capital — money
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. tear — from crying
  24. branch — of a bank

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