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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. branch — a division
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a match
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a line
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bass — low music
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bass — the fish
  21. stem — to come from
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. cell — a phone
  24. row — a quarrel

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