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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — a permit
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. mate — to breed
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. mate — a friend
  9. track — to keep track
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. lean — to bend
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. track — a path
  16. mate — a partner
  17. stem — to come from
  18. season — of the year
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. season — in sport
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. branch — a division
  24. track — a song

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