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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. rest — a break
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. date — the fruit
  7. track — to keep track
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. cell — a phone
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. branch — a division
  14. track — a song
  15. rest — what's left
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stem — to come from
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. rest — what's left
  23. track — a path
  24. cell — in biology

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