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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  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. fine — a penalty
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. fine — high quality
  4. charge — a price
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. march — the month
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — for digging
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. charge — electricity
  14. branch — a division
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. fine — all right
  18. bear — the animal
  19. season — in sport
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. charge — in control
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bear — the animal
  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