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

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. net — for catching
  4. dip — to sink
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — to handle
  7. branch — a division
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — to come from
  13. net — after costs
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. drill — army training
  18. net — 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