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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. clip — to cut
  4. branch — a division
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — electric
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bank — for money
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. capital — a city
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. current — of water
  17. bank — for money
  18. clip — a video
  19. bank — of a river
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. clip — for paper
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. capital — money

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