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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. band — a music group
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. cue — a signal
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. cue — for pool
  13. rash — hasty
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cue — a hint
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. stem — to come from
  21. rest — what's left
  22. band — a ring
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. branch — of a bank

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