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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. club — a group
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. row — to paddle
  6. pit — in a race
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. kick — in football
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. sharp — clever
  13. branch — a division
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. stem — to come from
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. tube — the underground
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. club — for dancing
  20. tube — a container
  21. club — for golf
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. pit — a hole

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