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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bat — the animal
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. club — for golf
  7. bore — to drill
  8. club — a group
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. drill — a practice
  12. track — to keep track
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. club — for dancing
  15. track — a path
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. branch — a division
  18. track — a song
  19. bore — to tire
  20. drill — army training
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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