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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. lean — thin
  5. branch — a division
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. stem — to come from
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. lean — to bend
  11. mate — a partner
  12. cold — an illness
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. game — a match
  16. mark — a trace
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — wild animals
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. mark — a grade
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mate — a friend

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