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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. mine — for digging
  10. march — music
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bass — low music
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bat — the animal
  16. track — a song
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. track — a path
  19. bass — the fish
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. march — the month
  24. bat — for baseball

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