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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 120 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wind — moving air
  5. spring — a coil
  6. stem — to come from
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spring — the season
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. current — electric
  17. cue — a signal
  18. current — happening now
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. branch — a division
  21. cue — for pool
  22. spring — of water
  23. cue — a hint
  24. current — of water

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