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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. stem — to come from
  3. track — a song
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. wax — to grow
  6. march — the month
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. lie — to recline
  20. pound — a weight
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. march — music
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sports field

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