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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. march — the month
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. stem — to come from
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — in sport
  12. march — the month
  13. spring — a coil
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. march — music
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — of water
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — of a tree
  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