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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bass — low music
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. shower — rain
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bass — the fish
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. stem — to come from
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. cell — in biology
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

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