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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. stem — to come from
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. rest — what's left
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mug — a face
  7. mug — a cup
  8. deal — to handle
  9. rest — a break
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to point toward
  13. branch — a division
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. mark — a trace
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a line
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. face — to confront
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a grade

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