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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 cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bank — of a river
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. chip — to eat
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bank — for money
  10. cell — a phone
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bank — for money
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. mate — a partner
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. net — in sport
  17. chip — for betting
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. net — after costs
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. net — for catching
  22. mate — to breed
  23. cell — in biology
  24. racket — for tennis

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