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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. vault — a safe
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. file — a tool
  7. wake — a trail
  8. dip — to sink
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. lean — thin
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. file — a line of people
  18. sharp — clever
  19. file — a document
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. stem — to come from
  22. lean — to bend
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. branch — of a bank

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