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

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. stem — to come from
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bear — the animal
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. march — the month
  10. squash — the sport
  11. march — music
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bear — the animal
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. march — the month

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