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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. branch — a division
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. chip — for betting
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. shower — rain
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. stem — to come from
  16. chip — to eat
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. straw — a straw man

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