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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. object — a thing
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. field — a subject
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. field — farmland
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. object — to protest
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. object — an aim
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. branch — a division
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. field — for sport
  22. stem — to come from
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. coach — a trainer

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