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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. file — a tool
  6. vault — a safe
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. chest — of your body
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. stem — to come from
  16. branch — a division
  17. chest — a box
  18. file — a line of people
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. file — a document
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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