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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mug — a cup
  3. cap — a lid
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cap — a hat
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. field — farmland
  9. branch — a division
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. stem — to come from
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bass — low music
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. mug — a face
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — a subject
  19. mug — to rob
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. cap — of ice
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. sharp — clever

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