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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. prune — to trim
  9. race — the arms race
  10. branch — a division
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. mark — a trace
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. stem — to come from
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — humankind
  24. branch — of a tree

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