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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. lean — to bend
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. cell — a phone
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. branch — a division
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cell — in biology
  17. lean — thin
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. drill — army training
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bat — the animal
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. leaves — to go away

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