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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. last — to go on
  3. mark — a trace
  4. present — there
  5. present — a gift
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. firm — decided
  8. firm — steady
  9. mark — a grade
  10. firm — a company
  11. last — final
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. last — finally
  15. stem — to come from
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. present — the time now
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. wax — to grow
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. foot — a measure

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