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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. branch — a division
  3. board — to get on
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. game — a match
  7. hand — help
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. board — a committee
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. game — wild animals
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — to come from
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. scale — size or range
  20. hand — in cards
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. dip — to sink
  23. scale — in music
  24. safe — out of danger

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