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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. branch — a division
  4. spring — a coil
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. stem — to come from
  7. club — a group
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. face — part of the head
  10. object — a thing
  11. club — for dancing
  12. face — to point toward
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. face — to confront
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. spring — the season
  19. object — an aim
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. spring — of water
  24. club — for golf

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