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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. chip — for betting
  5. season — in sport
  6. stem — to come from
  7. chip — to eat
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. present — there
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. net — after costs
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. present — the time now
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — to bend
  17. net — for catching
  18. pound — a weight
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. season — of the year
  21. branch — a division
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. lean — thin
  24. present — a gift

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