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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. march — music
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. march — the month
  5. bound — tied together
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. pop — music
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bound — certain
  10. pop — to visit
  11. snap — to click
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stem — to come from
  15. march — the month
  16. bound — obliged
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. calf — a young animal

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