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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. stem — to come from
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pop — music
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. pop — soda
  8. mate — a partner
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. fall — the season
  12. rush — hurry
  13. branch — a division
  14. clip — a video
  15. fall — to drop
  16. clip — for paper
  17. object — to protest
  18. clip — to cut
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pop — to visit
  21. object — an aim
  22. mate — a friend
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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