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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stem — to come from
  5. cap — a lid
  6. rule — government
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. cap — a hat
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. march — music
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cap — of ice
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. rule — a law
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. march — the month
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. branch — a division

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