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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. branch — a division
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — to breed
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. stem — to come from
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. mate — a friend
  24. calf — a young animal

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