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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 120 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. stem — to come from
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. branch — a division
  8. drill — army training
  9. rock — a stone
  10. net — after costs
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. saw — the tool
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. rock — music
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. net — for catching
  20. drill — the tool
  21. net — in sport
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. saw — the tool
  24. stem — of a plant

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