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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. last — finally
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. sharp — clever
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. stem — to come from
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. last — to go on
  14. branch — a division
  15. spell — a short time
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. spell — magic
  18. last — final
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. spell — letters
  24. sharp — exactly

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