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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — for money
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. kid — to tease
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. face — to confront
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. march — the month
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. kid — child
  21. face — part of the head
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. stem — to come from
  24. face — to point toward

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