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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. rock — music
  3. current — of water
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. content — happy
  6. stem — to come from
  7. branch — a division
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. rock — a stone
  15. current — happening now
  16. court — for sport
  17. current — electric
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. court — of law
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. mate — a partner
  24. court — of a king

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