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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. scale — size or range
  3. stem — to come from
  4. row — to paddle
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. cap — a hat
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. cap — of ice
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. foot — a measure
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a great time
  16. branch — a division
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. row — a line
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. scale — in music
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. cap — a lid
  24. foot — part of the body

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