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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. degree — from a university
  4. charge — in control
  5. branch — a division
  6. march — the month
  7. charge — a price
  8. ground — the earth
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. charge — electricity
  14. stem — to come from
  15. ground — a position
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — temperature
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fork — in a road
  23. ground — crushed
  24. stem — of a plant

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