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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. mug — a face
  5. rash — a series
  6. ground — a position
  7. cold — not warm
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. ground — the earth
  12. cold — an illness
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. mug — a cup
  15. stem — to come from
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rush — hurry
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. ground — crushed
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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