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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. staff — employees
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. can — a tin
  5. rash — hasty
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. branch — a division
  8. rash — a series
  9. band — a music group
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. band — a ring
  12. can — a tin
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. sharp — clever
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. can — to be able to
  24. stem — to come from

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