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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. race — the arms race
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. race — a contest
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. branch — a division
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. stem — to come from
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. fork — in a road
  17. mark — a trace
  18. content — happy
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. race — humankind
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. mark — a grade
  23. content — the amount
  24. wax — to grow

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