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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. current — happening now
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. branch — a division
  5. firm — steady
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. stem — to come from
  8. chest — of your body
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. firm — decided
  11. chest — a box
  12. current — of water
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. firm — a company
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. current — electric
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. ruler — for measuring

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