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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. court — of law
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bulb — for light
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. fine — high quality
  10. prune — to trim
  11. net — in sport
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. court — of a king
  15. branch — a division
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — after costs
  22. stem — to come from
  23. court — for sport
  24. fine — all right

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