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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. stem — to come from
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. rush — hurry
  8. land — to come down
  9. bound — obliged
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. land — ground
  13. rule — a law
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bound — tied together
  16. branch — a division
  17. land — a country
  18. club — a group
  19. bound — certain
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. club — for golf
  22. rule — government
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. stem — of a plant

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