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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. suit — in cards
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. suit — to fit
  8. season — in sport
  9. march — music
  10. stem — to come from
  11. drill — a practice
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. march — the month
  16. suit — clothes
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. drill — the tool
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. drill — army training
  23. march — the month
  24. season — of the year

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