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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. wind — moving air
  4. club — for golf
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rash — a series
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. drill — army training
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. club — for dancing
  13. tear — from crying
  14. club — a group
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rash — hasty
  19. tear — to rip
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — the tool
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. stem — to come from
  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