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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. march — music
  3. stem — to come from
  4. march — the month
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. ball — a dance
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. ball — a great time
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. rest — what's left
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. rest — what's left
  14. march — the month
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. rest — a break

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