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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. stand — to bear
  4. branch — a division
  5. kid — child
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. row — to paddle
  9. last — final
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. press — newspapers
  15. last — finally
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. last — to go on
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. charge — in control
  20. charge — electricity
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — to push
  23. kid — to tease
  24. charge — a price

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