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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. rest — what's left
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. rest — a break
  5. stem — to come from
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. game — a match
  8. key — for a lock
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. spell — a short time
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. key — the most important part
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — letters
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — the fish
  20. rest — what's left
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. key — in music
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bass — low music

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