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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. cue — a hint
  6. saw — the tool
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. cue — for pool
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. branch — a division
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. capital — a city
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. capital — money
  21. vault — a safe
  22. stem — to come from
  23. saw — the tool
  24. cue — a signal

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