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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — final
  4. scale — size or range
  5. branch — a division
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. scale — in music
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. march — music
  13. root — the cause
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. march — the month
  16. stem — to come from
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. root — of a word
  20. march — the month
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. last — finally
  23. root — of a plant
  24. pitch — completely

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