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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. rush — hurry
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. net — for catching
  11. branch — a division
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. lean — to bend
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. lean — thin
  17. net — after costs
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. pound — a weight
  20. net — in sport
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — to come from
  24. pound — to hit hard

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