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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. stem — to come from
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. file — a line of people
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — music
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bat — the animal
  12. file — a tool
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. file — a document
  15. chair — a leader
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. branch — a division
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. ball — a great time
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bat — in an idiom

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