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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wake — a trail
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. cap — a lid
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — to eat
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. cap — a hat
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. chip — for betting
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. stem — to come from
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. perch — the fish

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