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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 124 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stock — shares
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. stock — goods
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cold — not warm
  8. branch — a division
  9. bound — certain
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. mine — for digging
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bound — tied together
  19. sharp — clever
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bound — obliged
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. sharp — with an edge

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