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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. stem — to come from
  7. net — in sport
  8. branch — a division
  9. bank — of a river
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. staff — employees
  14. net — after costs
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bat — the animal
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. net — for catching
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — for money

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