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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. perch — the fish
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. spring — a coil
  6. fork — in a road
  7. scale — size or range
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. spring — the season
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. spring — of water
  17. scale — in music
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. branch — a division

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