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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. rash — hasty
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. branch — a division
  11. tear — to rip
  12. rash — a series
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. present — the time now
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. present — there

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