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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. spell — magic
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — to cut
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. spell — letters
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. branch — a division
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stock — goods
  18. stem — to come from
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. spell — a short time
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stem — a stem cell

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