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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. march — the month
  4. bulb — for light
  5. march — music
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. snap — to click
  8. rock — a stone
  9. roll — a cake
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. march — the month
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. roll — a list
  18. stem — a stem cell

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