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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 116 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mate — to breed
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mate — a partner
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. can — to be able to
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. can — a tin
  16. fine — high quality
  17. can — a tin
  18. branch — a division
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. stem — to come from
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mate — a friend
  24. stem — a stem cell

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