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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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. root — the cause
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mark — a grade
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. march — music
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. march — the month
  17. branch — a division
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — of a word
  20. stem — to come from
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. march — the month

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