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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — the season
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. shower — rain
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. spring — of water
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. shower — to wash

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