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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mate — to breed
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. stem — to come from
  6. last — to go on
  7. toast — bread
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. last — finally
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mate — a friend
  18. branch — a division
  19. mate — a partner
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. snap — to click
  22. last — final
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bear — the animal

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