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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. capital — money
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. cue — for pool
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. rush — hurry
  16. wound — an injury
  17. branch — a division
  18. cue — a hint
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. cue — a signal
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. wound — an injury
  24. racket — for tennis

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