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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — to come from
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. field — a subject
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. dip — to sink
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. field — farmland
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. field — for sport
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. season — of the year
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. branch — a division
  23. season — in sport
  24. racket — for tennis

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