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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. field — a subject
  7. stem — to come from
  8. field — for sport
  9. spring — of water
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. branch — a division
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. spring — the season
  20. plane — a tool
  21. field — farmland
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. spring — a coil

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