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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. object — an aim
  4. lie — to recline
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. object — a thing
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. ground — crushed
  10. object — to protest
  11. stem — to come from
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. net — in sport
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. ground — the earth
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. net — for catching
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. net — after costs
  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