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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. spring — a coil
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. march — music
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. spring — the season
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. march — the month
  14. mark — a trace
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. stem — to come from
  21. mark — a grade
  22. spring — of water
  23. march — the month
  24. snap — to click

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