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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: pound · branch · last · key · arm · stem · court · wake

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. key — in music
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. wake — a trail
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. pound — a weight
  10. branch — a division
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. key — the most important part
  13. court — for sport
  14. key — for a lock
  15. last — to go on
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. court — of a king
  19. last — final
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. last — finally
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. court — of law

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