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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 120 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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. cold — an illness
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. staff — employees
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. staff — a stick
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. staff — employees
  12. branch — a division
  13. swing — to play on
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. swing — music
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. swing — in golf
  22. stem — to come from
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. cold — not warm

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