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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. branch — a division
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. rash — hasty
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bat — the animal
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. last — to go on
  19. stem — to come from
  20. last — final
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rash — a series
  24. bay — a horse colour

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