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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. branch — a division
  4. march — the month
  5. stem — to come from
  6. pass — a permit
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. game — a match
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. march — music
  12. game — wild animals
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. march — the month
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. season — of the year
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bark — to shout

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