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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. season — in sport
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. fall — to drop
  7. current — happening now
  8. season — of the year
  9. fall — the season
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. current — electric
  12. fall — to drop
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. perch — the fish
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. branch — a division
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. saw — the tool
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. snap — to click

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