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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 116 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. mate — a friend
  3. game — wild animals
  4. cold — not warm
  5. current — of water
  6. stem — to come from
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. track — a song
  9. track — to keep track
  10. branch — a division
  11. pass — a permit
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. track — a path
  14. game — a match
  15. mate — to breed
  16. current — electric
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — an illness
  24. current — happening now

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