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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  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. stem — to come from
  2. file — a line of people
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. last — final
  6. scale — in music
  7. bound — obliged
  8. cap — of ice
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a document
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bound — tied together
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. last — finally
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. branch — a division
  21. last — to go on
  22. bound — certain
  23. scale — size or range
  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