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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. last — final
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. last — finally
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. stem — to come from
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. rash — a series
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. row — a line
  20. row — to paddle
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bay — a horse colour
  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