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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — to come from
  5. cue — for pool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. pitch — completely
  9. file — a document
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — a signal
  13. file — a tool
  14. last — final
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. last — to go on
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — a permit
  23. last — finally
  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