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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — high quality
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. stem — to come from
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pitch — completely
  9. saw — the tool
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. mate — to breed
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — a partner
  19. chair — a leader
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. branch — a division

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