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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 120 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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. stem — to come from
  3. key — for a lock
  4. rush — hurry
  5. season — of the year
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. key — the most important part
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. drill — a practice
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. drill — army training
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. season — in sport
  20. drill — the tool
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. key — in 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