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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. club — for golf
  10. season — in sport
  11. deal — to handle
  12. content — happy
  13. fine — all right
  14. season — of the year
  15. branch — a division
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. content — the amount
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. drill — a practice
  20. club — a group
  21. stem — to come from
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. club — for dancing

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