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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. ground — the earth
  5. band — a music group
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. branch — a division
  10. stem — to come from
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. court — of a king
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. land — ground
  16. band — a ring
  17. ground — a position
  18. court — of law
  19. ground — crushed
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. court — for sport
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. band — a rubber band

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