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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. ground — a position
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. ground — the earth
  6. rash — hasty
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. ground — crushed
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. branch — a division
  13. stem — to come from
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mine — for digging
  16. net — for catching
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rash — a series
  20. net — in sport
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. net — after costs

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