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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. lean — to bend
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — money
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. swing — in golf
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. swing — to play on
  14. pitch — completely
  15. branch — a division
  16. lean — thin
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. swing — music
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. lean — to rest against

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