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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. net — for catching
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — the tool
  11. net — in sport
  12. branch — a division
  13. stem — to come from
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. net — after costs
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — a weight
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rock — music
  23. drill — a practice
  24. branch — of a tree

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