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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. branch — a division
  5. chip — for betting
  6. staff — employees
  7. land — a country
  8. land — ground
  9. chip — to eat
  10. lie — to recline
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — to come from
  16. land — to come down
  17. march — music
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. staff — a stick
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. staff — employees
  24. chip — in a computer

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