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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · last · mug · rush · field · branch · stem · chip

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  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. mug — to rob
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. cap — a hat
  4. last — finally
  5. rush — hurry
  6. field — a subject
  7. mug — a face
  8. field — farmland
  9. mug — a cup
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. last — to go on
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. field — for sport
  14. branch — a division
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. cap — a lid
  17. chip — for betting
  18. stem — to come from
  19. chip — to eat
  20. cap — of ice
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. last — final
  23. branch — of a bank
  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