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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 120 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. firm — decided
  6. firm — a company
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stem — to come from
  9. scale — size or range
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. band — a ring
  12. firm — steady
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bulb — for light
  15. scale — in music
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. march — 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