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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. march — the month
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cap — a lid
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. cap — of ice
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. charge — a price
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cap — a hat
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. saw — the tool
  19. march — the month
  20. stem — to come from
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — in control
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. hide — animal skin

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