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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stem — to come from
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. last — finally
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. branch — a division
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. wake — a trail
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. last — final
  22. plane — a tool
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. last — to go on

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