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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — a division
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. net — in sport
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to tire
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. net — after costs
  17. bore — to drill
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. net — for catching
  22. deal — to handle
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. mine — for digging

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