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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. branch — a division
  3. stem — to come from
  4. charge — a price
  5. rule — government
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — in control
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. rule — a law
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. mark — a trace
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. mark — a grade

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