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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. march — music
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. branch — a division
  6. board — a committee
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. board — to get on
  9. stand — to bear
  10. staff — employees
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. march — the month
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. stem — to come from
  15. march — the month
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. season — in sport
  20. snap — to click
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. season — of the year

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