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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. rock — a stone
  3. stem — to come from
  4. chest — of your body
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. wake — a trail
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. rock — music
  14. swing — in golf
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. chest — a box
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. swing — to play on
  20. rush — hurry
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. swing — music
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. branch — a division

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