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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 116 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. club — for golf
  4. branch — a division
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. season — in sport
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. club — a group
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — in sport
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. club — for dancing
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. net — for catching
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. season — of the year

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