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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — a division
  8. stem — to come from
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — not warm
  11. staff — a stick
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rule — a law
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. staff — employees
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rule — government
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. staff — employees

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