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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. stock — goods
  3. swing — in golf
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. firm — a company
  10. stock — shares
  11. firm — steady
  12. firm — decided
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. march — the month
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. swing — to play on
  17. march — music
  18. swing — music

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