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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 120 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. land — a country
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. ground — a position
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. branch — a division
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. ground — the earth
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. cell — a phone
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. land — to come down
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stem — to come from
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. board — to get on
  20. cell — in biology
  21. land — ground
  22. ground — crushed
  23. board — a committee
  24. branch — of a bank

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