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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 120 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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. pop — soda
  4. branch — a division
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. clip — to cut
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. pop — music
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bound — certain
  12. clip — for paper
  13. stem — to come from
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bank — for money
  16. clip — a video
  17. rush — hurry
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bank — for money
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. rush — a thrill

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