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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stem — to come from
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. capital — money
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. fall — to drop
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. fall — the season
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bulb — for light
  16. branch — a division
  17. mine — for digging
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. capital — a city
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — hurry
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. mine — an explosive

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