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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. last — to go on
  3. club — for golf
  4. mug — to rob
  5. branch — a division
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mark — a trace
  9. club — for dancing
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. stem — to come from
  12. last — finally
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. plane — a tool
  15. mug — a face
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. last — final
  22. pass — a permit
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. club — a group

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