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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. craft — a skill
  3. branch — a division
  4. court — for sport
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. charge — electricity
  9. craft — boats
  10. capital — money
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. deal — to handle
  13. mark — a grade
  14. capital — a city
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. charge — a price
  17. mark — a trace
  18. court — of law
  19. stem — to come from
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. charge — in control
  23. court — of a king
  24. branch — of a bank

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