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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. swing — music
  4. mate — a friend
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. swing — in golf
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. swing — to play on
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. mate — to breed
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — to cut
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stem — to come from
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. clip — for paper
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. branch — a division
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. stem — of a plant

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