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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. ground — the earth
  6. content — the amount
  7. stem — to come from
  8. craft — boats
  9. band — a ring
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. ground — a position
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. content — happy
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. branch — a division
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. ground — crushed
  19. craft — a skill
  20. band — a music group
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. chair — a leader
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. calf — a young animal

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