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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. current — electric
  4. rash — hasty
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rash — a series
  7. capital — money
  8. march — the month
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. current — of water
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. current — happening now
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. capital — a city
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. mouse — for a computer

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