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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. shower — to wash
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. club — for dancing
  7. shower — rain
  8. club — for golf
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. chair — a leader
  16. club — a group
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wound — an injury
  19. saw — the tool
  20. branch — a division
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. stem — to come from

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