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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. perch — the fish
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. drill — army training
  7. drill — the tool
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. club — for golf
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. drill — a practice
  13. staff — a stick
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. club — a group
  16. clip — to cut
  17. staff — employees
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. staff — employees
  20. clip — a video
  21. branch — a division
  22. club — for dancing
  23. clip — for paper
  24. jam — in traffic

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