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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 120 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. chair — a leader
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. rush — hurry
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. prune — to trim
  13. season — of the year
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. charge — in control
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. charge — electricity
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. stem — to come from
  22. prune — to trim
  23. season — in sport
  24. charge — a price

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