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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. wake — a trail
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. branch — a division
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. present — there
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. sharp — clever
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. shower — to wash
  18. present — a gift
  19. content — happy
  20. content — the amount
  21. stem — to come from
  22. shower — rain
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. present — the time now

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