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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  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. straw — dry grass
  2. branch — a division
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. rule — government
  7. last — final
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. last — to go on
  12. bound — certain
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. last — finally
  15. can — a tin
  16. stem — to come from
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bound — obliged
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bound — tied together
  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