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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  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. branch — a division
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. sharp — clever
  8. stock — goods
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in biology
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. hand — in cards
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stock — shares
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. hand — help
  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