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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 124 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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. cap — a lid
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — in golf
  5. current — of water
  6. branch — a division
  7. current — happening now
  8. tear — from crying
  9. foot — a measure
  10. swing — music
  11. current — electric
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. tear — from crying
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. stem — to come from
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — of ice
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. tear — to rip
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. toast — bread
  24. branch — of a tree

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