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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 124 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. stem — to come from
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. net — after costs
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. land — a country
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. net — for catching
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. branch — a division
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. land — ground
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. rush — hurry
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — a short time
  22. net — in sport
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. spell — magic

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