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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 116 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. board — a committee
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — goods
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. stem — to come from
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. stock — shares
  12. pop — music
  13. bulb — for light
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. branch — a division
  16. kick — in football
  17. bulb — for light
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. cell — in biology
  20. board — to get on
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. pop — to visit
  23. cell — a phone
  24. branch — of a bank

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