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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. season — in sport
  3. firm — decided
  4. prune — to trim
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. branch — a division
  7. firm — steady
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stem — to come from
  10. cell — a phone
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — to play on
  13. firm — a company
  14. prune — to trim
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. swing — music
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. season — of the year
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. prune — the fruit

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