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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. branch — a division
  4. chair — a leader
  5. season — of the year
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. can — to be able to
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. stem — to come from
  10. can — a tin
  11. cue — a signal
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — for pool
  15. can — a tin
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. season — in sport

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