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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. stem — to come from
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wound — an injury
  8. squash — the sport
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. branch — a division
  12. wound — an injury
  13. swing — in golf
  14. squash — to crush
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. swing — to play on
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. chair — a leader
  20. prune — to trim
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. swing — music
  24. stem — a stem cell

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