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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. stem — to come from
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. roll — a list
  6. charge — electricity
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. roll — a cake
  9. degree — from a university
  10. row — a line
  11. charge — a price
  12. branch — a division
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. degree — an amount
  22. row — to paddle
  23. degree — temperature
  24. stem — a stem cell

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