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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. stem — to come from
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. branch — a division
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. lie — to recline
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cap — a hat
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pit — a hole
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. pit — in a race
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. cap — of ice
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fork — in a road
  24. cap — a lid

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