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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 124 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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. degree — temperature
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. degree — from a university
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bark — to shout
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. stem — to come from
  19. prune — to trim
  20. degree — an amount
  21. prune — to trim
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. march — the month
  24. bark — of a tree

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