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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bat — the animal
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. mark — a trace
  7. stem — to come from
  8. content — the amount
  9. branch — a division
  10. field — a subject
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. content — happy
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. field — for sport
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. field — farmland

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