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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 116 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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. branch — a division
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. last — to go on
  8. cap — a hat
  9. stem — to come from
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fall — the season
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. last — finally
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. last — final
  23. cap — a lid
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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