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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. deal — to handle
  3. race — humankind
  4. branch — a division
  5. prune — to trim
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. prune — to trim
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — clever
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. race — a contest
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. mug — to rob
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. race — the arms race
  21. mug — a cup
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. mug — a face

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