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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. mate — a partner
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. fork — in a road
  12. court — of law
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. branch — a division
  16. court — for sport
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. mate — a friend
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. court — of a king
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. can — a tin
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. mate — to breed

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