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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. chest — a box
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. can — a tin
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. chest — of your body
  10. can — a tin
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. chest — of your body
  13. squash — the sport
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. squash — to crush
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. can — to be able to
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. chair — a leader
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. racket — a loud noise

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