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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. row — a line
  3. stem — to come from
  4. branch — a division
  5. mug — a cup
  6. pit — a hole
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. wind — moving air
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mug — a face
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. mug — to rob
  18. row — to paddle
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pit — in a race
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. wind — moving air

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