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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  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. bound — certain
  2. file — a line of people
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. wind — moving air
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bound — obliged
  11. branch — a division
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stem — to come from
  16. file — a tool
  17. stand — to bear
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. file — a document
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bound — tied together
  23. racket — for tennis
  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