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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. track — to keep track
  4. branch — a division
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. swing — in golf
  11. track — a song
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bark — to shout
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. track — a path
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. swing — to play on
  20. stem — to come from
  21. swing — music
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stand — for spectators

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