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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. band — a ring
  5. clip — for paper
  6. present — there
  7. spell — letters
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. stem — to come from
  10. spring — a coil
  11. clip — to cut
  12. spring — of water
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. present — the time now
  17. spell — magic
  18. clip — a video
  19. present — a gift
  20. rash — a series
  21. spring — the season
  22. rash — hasty
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. band — a music group

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