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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: branch · safe · stem · last · sharp · present · kid · mark

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. present — a gift
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. branch — a division
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. kid — child
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. last — finally
  9. present — there
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. last — to go on
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. last — final
  15. kid — to tease
  16. mark — a trace
  17. sharp — clever
  18. mark — a grade
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. present — the time now
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. stem — to come from

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