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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — in a race
  3. branch — a division
  4. track — a path
  5. stem — to come from
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. track — a song
  10. game — wild animals
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. snap — to click
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. track — to keep track
  22. game — a match
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. nail — for a hammer

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