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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. branch — a division
  4. kick — in football
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. face — part of the head
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — magic
  14. current — of water
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. face — to confront
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bass — the fish
  19. current — happening now
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. face — to point toward
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. current — electric

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