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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. branch — a division
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. stem — to come from
  14. land — ground
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bat — the animal
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. scale — size or range
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. land — to come down
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. scale — in music

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