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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. branch — a division
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. content — the amount
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. content — happy
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — for paper
  14. staff — employees
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. staff — a stick
  18. snap — to click
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. clip — to cut
  24. staff — employees

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