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

Word bank: cold · chip · stem · last · branch · toast · mug · mate

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. last — finally
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mug — to rob
  6. cold — not warm
  7. stem — to come from
  8. toast — bread
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mug — a face
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. chip — for betting
  16. cold — an illness
  17. chip — to eat
  18. last — final
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. last — to go on
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. mug — a cup

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