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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 was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. drill — army training
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. drill — a practice
  9. branch — a division
  10. march — the month
  11. cell — a phone
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. wind — moving air
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. cell — in biology
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. march — the month
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. stem — to come from
  23. drill — the tool
  24. march — music

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